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This in fromTSN’s Frank Seravalli, talking with Allan Mitchell on the Lowdown with Lowetide, news that the Edmonton Oilers are shopping winger Milan Lucic with a draft pick: “My understanding, and the reason that Milan Lucic is on our (TSN top trade) list is because, from my understanding they’re trying and talking to teams about potentially taking another contract back even if that means sweetening the pot with a pick or some other roster player in order to make it happen. They are pushing, or at least doing their due diligence and working to try and move on from Milan Lucic if they can. I just don’t know that it’s going to happen with that much term left. It’s going to be a really tough one to do.”

The other part, Seravalli said, is that Lucic controls things with his No Movement Clause.

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My take

This Edmonton Oilers offseason just got a whole lot more intriguing. Could this be the deal being mentioned by team insider Bob Stauffer, with the Oilers looking to trade a player with term? I still suspect that move involves Oscar Klefbom, but this might change that assessment. I’ve always been extremely doubtful that the Oilers would be able to move Lucic, given his mediocre performance, his massive contract, and his No Movement Clause. But perhaps something is brewing here. Seravalli is a credible source. Perhaps Lucic sees he might be better off in a city where there’s more opportunity to play in the Top 6 and where the bite of his fiercest critics isn’t quite so nasty. In other words, a U.S. city where hockey isn’t such an obsession. TSN’s Jason Gregor mentioned on his show on Wednesday that Lucic might be willing to waive his NMC. Now this comes in from Servalli. Something seems to be percolating. On Oilers Now, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet also weighed in: “I believe there has been some conversation about is there a way that this can be worked on to make it happen … Look, I think this: Obviously everybody is really frustrated after last year. I think that Lucic is a guy who was frustrated. Obviously the fans are frustrated. And look, some places when things aren’t going really well, they’re very difficult be in… I do think that there is frustration. I do think that he would be open to the possibility. If the Oilers and him work together I think there’s a chance that could occur.”



Lucic scored just one goal in his final 48 games last year, 10 goals in total. The good news is his scoring total fell off largely due to bad puck luck, as opposed to a major fall off in performance. The bad news is that Lucic’s performance last year was never very good. He was miscast on the top line with Connor McDavid and on the top power play unit. Too many plays died on his stick and it’s hard to imagine that he’ll suddenly rediscover the necessary touch with the puck that would allow him to flourish with a speedy, finesse centre like McDavid or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Perhaps he can fit in on more of grinding, forechecking, cycling line with a bigger centre like Leon Draisaitl. But I see his role as a third liner now. I doubt Lucic is going to bounce back and become a useful Top 6 winger. Instead, if he’s going to help an NHL team win, it’s going to be as a hard-checking, physical third line winger. In this role, one would hope he’d chip in one about 15 goals per year and get about 40 points. i wrote a post on the weekend explaining this line of reasoning. If an NHL team is desperate for physical play and wants a player who can at least keep up somewhat with the modern speed-driven NHL, Lucic might well be attractive to that team, so long as it also has abundant cap space. If the Oilers can move out Lucic, that might help them in the next expansion draft, as he’s a player they would be forced to protect with his NMC in place. What would the Oilers have to give up to move Lucic? A second round pick? A top prospect? Eat a big chunk of his salary going forward? These are the key questions, but at least they’re worth asking now as moving Lucic takes on the air of reality.

At the Cult of Hockey

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