Former Calgary Flames’ forward Milan Lucic is reportedly eyeing an NHL comeback, but Gary Bettman and the league would need to reinstate him following his 2023 arrest.
Ahead of potentially signing an NHL contract for the upcoming season, Lucic is training in the hopes he’s got some game left as an NHL pro. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli:
Update: Sources say Milan Lucic has been training in New Jersey this summer in an attempt to continue his playing career. Lucic is currently ineligible to return to the #NHL. He was arrested in Boston last November for assault and battery, plead not guilty, and charges were dropped in February when his wife invoked marital privilege and declined to testify.
Update: Sources say Milan Lucic has been training in New Jersey this summer in an attempt to continue his playing career.
Lucic is currently ineligible to return to the #NHL. He was arrested in Boston last November for assault and battery, plead not guilty, and charges were…
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 15, 2024
Seravalli goes on to note that Lucic took an indefinite leave of absence from the Bruins after the arrest and did not return to the team. His one-year contract expired on June 30. Lucic has not been formally suspended by the league and he NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program. Needless to say, there would be a whole process involved if the NHL felt Lucic was ready to rejoin the league.
As for who, if any teams would be interested, that isn’t clear.
There were numerous jokes on Seravalli’s social media post that Lucic would be a perfect fit for the Oilers considering their propensity to sign and hire players and executives with a checkered past.
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Lucic spent four seasons with the Flames, playing in 283 regular season games between the years of 2019-2023. He also played in 22 playoff games. His most productive season in Calgary occurred in 2020-21 when he scored 10 goals and had 23 points in 56 games.
He will be 36 years old if the league approves him for a return and it’s likely he would have to accept a professional tryout to get a shot.
