Report: Milan Lucic will return to the Boston Bruins

On Wednesday, reports indicated unrestricted free agent Milan Lucic could return to the Boston Bruins this summer.

With Milan Lucic free to speak with teams ahead of free agency opening Saturday, it sounds like a reunion with the Boston Bruins is a strong possibility.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 28, 2023

On June 21, Lucic discussed returning to Boston with Pierre Lebrun. “Obviously, it’s a special place for me, and it always will be,” Lucic said. Now, he hockey there in 2023-2024.

Lucic played for the B’s from 2008 to 2015, racking up 139 goals, 342 points, and 772 penalty minutes. He went to the Stanley Cup final twice as a Bruin, first in a victorious effort in 2011 and then in a loss to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.

The Bruins traded ‘Looch’ to the LA Kings in 2015, and he has been out west ever since. After one strong season in LA, Lucic inked a now infamously lucrative contract with the Edmonton Oilers just as his physical style of play was beginning to catch up with him.

After another good season in 2016-2017, Lucic’s mobility and production took a drastic dive; Edmonton dealt him to the rival Calgary Flames in the summer of 2019.

Lucic has settled in as a bruising bottom-six option in Calgary and traveled to the IIHF World Championship with Team Canada to prove he can still play. He scored 2 goals and 4 points in 10 games as Canada took home the title.

Though Lucic’s days as a menace on the power play are long past, he could be vital for a Bruins team that will experience a ton of turnover this offseason.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci will likely retire, and the Bruins, having traded Taylor Hall and Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks, need veterans in their locker room. 

Nostalgia aside, with one of the league’s best scrappers in Lucic around, Boston’s skill players will skate more confidently next season.