Confirmed Signing with Link: [EDM] Milan Lucic (7 years, $6.000M AAV)

[Seachd]

Very happy with this, especially when compared with other signings today.

He's a very unique player, and you have to pay up for that. He should fit in fairly well.

 

[karnige]

You guys are ridiculously disconnected with these taunts.

Hall does not equal Larsson fantasy-wise. But the Larsson aquisition brings more balance, which makes a better team.

Finally the Oilers are pushing forward with a new plan, one where gargantuan holes are in the process of being filled. Hall's point production wasn't getting us any closer to the playoffs, now was it? The Devils had great balanced teams in winning the Cup, all without crazy offensive weapons.

So gimme a break. The Oilers ARE a better team right now as it pertains to their odds of winning games. Will the Lucic signing hinder us down the road? Maybe. Time will tell.

well said. also the oilers had one of the most 1 goal losses. these 2 additions help along with a healthy mcdavid. the team may very well be in the playoff hunt.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

we should create a Kings Suck thread, but this one is about Lucic and yeah short term this is a good deal but long term (like almost every long term deal) this will eventually blow. I'm guessing Edmonton's 3 to 5 yr window has officially opened after close to a decade worth of first round picks goodluck to them

now please pass that 1st overall pick torch to LA

 

[NewBoysClub97*]

I like all the armchair experts saying he will be a bust in a few years. he has barely missed a game since 2011. just because you hate the guy doesn't mean he won't work out well in edmonton

It is fair to say he could really slow down the last two to three years, so we will see. There are guys who play "hard" who are still going well passed 35.

Lucic isn't going to bang allall seven years. Guys usually stop doing that as time goes to because they know it will slow them down.

He seems smart. They said he is starting to take special skating courses in the summer because he wants to keep his speed as long as he can.

He doesn't want to start it after he finds out he is losing a step.

A guy his size can still be effective unless he literally loses every skating gear he has.

Term is long, but that's what it took.. We will see what he is like after 3-4 years.

 

[a587b]

An ideal fit, it seems. Edmonton needed a toughness upgrade at forward and Lucic supplies enough skill as well as the toughness to ride shotgun with McDavid and or Nugent-Hopkins. Also allowed the Oilers to make the Hall-Larsson trade.

Regarding money and term, when a team signs a free agent the only asset that it costs is money. So yeah, maybe you signed the guy for a little more per annum or a longer term than what a comparable player has for a contract at the moment but if you have to trade one of your good players to get that comparable guy... As long as the team can afford it and the deal isn't totally wacko, you sign the free agent if he's the right fit. Lucic is a quality player; he was going to get paid well regardless of where he landed.

 

[dookers9]

well said. also the oilers had one of the most 1 goal losses. these 2 additions help along with a healthy mcdavid. the team may very well be in the playoff hunt.

It better. For the very reasons you cite, there is no excuse not to make the playoffs this year. And I say this with all seriousness.

These moves and some of the shifts elsewhere in the western conference strengthen some of the recently weaker squads. Add another piece or two by October, and I see no reason we shouldn't be there in the end on the lesser end of a 1st round series.

And I see the Flamers being with us. Who'll be dropping out, I have no idea. But times's up.

 

[Frank the Tank]

It is fair to say he could really slow down the last two to three years, so we will see. There are guys who play "hard" who are still going well passed 35.

Lucic isn't going to bang allall seven years. Guys usually stop doing that as time goes to because they know it will slow them down.

He seems smart. They said he is starting to take special skating courses in the summer because he wants to keep his speed as long as he can.

He doesn't want to start it after he finds out he is losing a step.

A guy his size can still be effective unless he literally loses every skating gear he has.

Term is long, but that's what it took.. We will see what he is like after 3-4 years.

Lucic is signed between the ages of 28-34
Brouwer is signed between the ages of 31-34
Backes is signed between the ages of 32-36
Ladd is signed between the ages of 30-38 (Dec birthday)
Okposo is signed between the ages of 28-34
Eriksson is signed between the ages of 31-36

Yet everyone is worried about how Lucic will play near the end of his contract? He'll be among the youngest of the group when all these contracts expire.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Lucic v Ferland can't wait.

 

[dookers9]

Lucic is signed between the ages of 28-34
Brouwer is signed between the ages of 31-34
Backes is signed between the ages of 32-36
Ladd is signed between the ages of 30-38 (Dec birthday)
Okposo is signed between the ages of 28-34
Eriksson is signed between the ages of 31-36

Yet everyone is worried about how Lucic will play near the end of his contract? He'll be among the youngest of the group when all these contracts expire.

Exactly.

And in the end, objectivity aside, Lucic's contribution to the Oilers will most likely surpass the value of any of these players. We need him badly. And there's no reason he won't be dominant for us for a full 2/3 of the contract.

Let's roll with it. It's all good.

 

[a587b]

One other thing about Lucic: in the past 6 seasons he's missed a total of 10 regular season games.

 

[karnige]

It better. For the very reasons you cite, there is no excuse not to make the playoffs this year. And I say this with all seriousness.

These moves and some of the shifts elsewhere in the western conference strengthen some of the recently weaker squads. Add another piece or two by October, and I see no reason we shouldn't be there in the end on the lesser end of a 1st round series.

And I see the Flamers being with us. Who'll be dropping out, I have no idea. But times's up.

I don't know if they will bit I fully expect them to be in the hunt. there are a lot of good teams. LA, San Jose and the ducks are tough teams. I think u need to see the big picture.

 

[NewBoysClub97*]

One other thing about Lucic: in the past 6 seasons he's missed a total of 10 regular season games.

a few were because of a suspension as well.

 

[FlyingPhi]

The Kings Cup window has effectively been closed by certain wives getting fat. Richards and Brown fell off a cliff midway through big money contracts that seemed worth it at the time.

Acting like its nothing to worry about flies in the face of what is happening RIGHT NOW to a team that only two years ago was a dominant force. These risky long term deals can and will sink contending teams. The Kings are playing with a 6 million dollar handicap against their cap, which has prevented them from continually adding pieces to contend.

Pretending like its no big deal is naive.

I've been married three years, wife still isn't fat. If she was as good a hockey player as Lucic, I would be fine with her getting fat, don't care either way to be honest. Enough about my possibly soon-to-be fat wife.

Of course there is risk, Chiarelli spoke to it in his presser. Risk in every contract signed, some more than others. To be fair, Lucic's contract will expire three weeks after he turns 35, won't Brown be a few months from 38? I think that's a difference worth pointing out, and one that made Brown's more risky.

That's all beside the point. The LA Kings signed him to that deal after winning a Stanley Cup, when him Quick and Kopitar dominated the playoffs, Doughty emerged, it was beautiful. Won another one too, didn't Brown score the double ot winner in game 2? It's all about the cup.

As the Kings proved, and the Oilers 1 win short of doing so in 06', all you need to do is get in the playoffs and you have a shot. Hockey is great like that. Seems to me that so far this summer, including Lucic, Chiarelli has that goal front and centre. He took the opportunity to sign a healthy, consistent, nutrition and fitness junkie, rare breed power forward with good hands and who seems loved by teammates, great at recovering pucks, winning the boards, and making space for linemates. Lucic says he left deals with more term or more money on the table to ride shotgun with McDavid. It's a risk, but calculated.

I think there is also something to be said for wasted value as a the "handicap" salary minus the cost of a replacement player. I won't pretend to know much about Dustin Brown, but I imagine that even with his point production down, he adds significant value to the team. If present day Dustin Brown is worth a roster spot because of what else he adds to the team, and say a cap hit of 2.5 million, the true "handicap" would only be 2.375. Lucic may not be a 55/60 point player for years 4-7, hell, he could catch an edge game one, go into the boards, and never be the same player again. What Lucic does add to a team, aside from consistent point production, is valuable even if it only comes with 30 points. Sure, he'll be overpaid by a few million, but the whole six million won't be a waste.

If the team doesn't have a bunch of buyout proof contracts, drafts and develops talent to transition, and doesn't trade for a bunch of poor contracts, they can take risks and sleep easier. If overpaying a leader by 3 million dollars sewers your team, there are a lot of other problems too. In the Oilers case, they have their best players on very manageable deals, a couple on ELC's and two seasons before McDavid gets his big deal (hopefully for them he goes all Crosby and takes 9.7). For them it is a good time to take a calculated risk, and make decisions on the other players. Hopefully also having the opportunity to evaluate them on they performance in the playoffs.

 

[KCC]

well said. also the oilers had one of the most 1 goal losses. these 2 additions help along with a healthy mcdavid. the team may very well be in the playoff hunt.

The said holes are of course on defense still, but Chiarelli is definitely not finished this summer. Add another decent defenseman and they sure as heck have a chance to squeak in.

 

[dookers9]

I don't know if they will bit I fully expect them to be in the hunt. there are a lot of good teams. LA, San Jose and the ducks are tough teams. I think u need to see the big picture.

Lol. I suspect I'm as invested in this team as you are. And I see the big picture.

I realize the competitiveness of the conference, let alone the division. But as you'd stated, we lost SO many games by 1 goal. Those games otherwise won are, in turn, lost by other squads, the vast majority of whom finished ahead of us. Over 82 games, and with a healthy McDavid, sky's the limit.

By which I mean a rousing 8th place. Lol

 

[State of Hockey]

The term sucks for the Oilers, but this is exactly the type of player they needed. I'd say it's worth the potential pain at the end of the deal. You need to go for it now.

 

[Alberta_OReilly_Fan]

Lucic is signed between the ages of 28-34
Brouwer is signed between the ages of 31-34
Backes is signed between the ages of 32-36
Ladd is signed between the ages of 30-38 (Dec birthday)
Okposo is signed between the ages of 28-34
Eriksson is signed between the ages of 31-36

Yet everyone is worried about how Lucic will play near the end of his contract? He'll be among the youngest of the group when all these contracts expire.

isn't it ok to be concerned about all of them?

but lucic is a special player... a special type of player. in history theres only a small handful of comparables to his very unique physical style.

clearly lucic is a special player because he runs over people... whenever he doesn't run over people he is extremely ordinary. if he stops running over people he is not going to be much more than a third liner.

other guys who have this type of style are guys like eric Lindros and cam neely. there are some others who have less skill who also try to run people over all the time. one thing in common with these players is that at around age 30 they are all pretty much finished.

big players who don't run people over every shift can play to close to 40... I might argue a guy like david backes compares to a guy like Brenden shanahan or bill Guerin or keith tkchuck more...

I think this is why some guys as they near 30 become a scary contract to extend... and others aren't as scary.

of course health is a wildcard... a players commitment to fitness... his love of playing the game...

this isn't an exact science. in general... goons don't play past 30... soft defensive specialists don't play much past 30... physical heavy hitters have a hard time staying healthy after 30...

hof superstar talents usually can go until 40 unless they decide to retire at the top of their game at an earlier age. I mean a scott neidermayer or a wayne gretzky might not stick around until 40 but they are still playing in all star games in their last year. guys like chelious and lidstrom are still contending for the Norris at 40. guys like teemu selanne and jaromier jagr are still ppg players at 40

so 40 isn't too old if a guy is a hof type talent.

6 year contracts are risky even for players who are 23-24 years old. theres many 23-24 year old guys who sign these 6 year contacts and become a burden to the team long before the deal is done.

all long contracts are a huge risk... but some just don't make much sense at all when you look at historical trends for type A similar players.

 

[a587b]

isn't it ok to be concerned about all of them?

but lucic is a special player... a special type of player. in history theres only a small handful of comparables to his very unique physical style.

clearly lucic is a special player because he runs over people... whenever he doesn't run over people he is extremely ordinary. if he stops running over people he is not going to be much more than a third liner.

other guys who have this type of style are guys like eric Lindros and cam neely. there are some others who have less skill who also try to run people over all the time. one thing in common with these players is that at around age 30 they are all pretty much finished.

The two all-time leaders in games played are Gordie Howe and Mark Messier. They are also both in the top four in points. And they both played a very physical brand of hockey. 7th on the games played list is Scott Stevens.

 

[TheBleedingEdge]

Congrats Edmonton, good signing other the term but these days you gotta give to get it seems.

Youll get 4 years out hopefully, he does have a back issue that will restrict his play and speed as the PF role wears on him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheuermann%27s_disease

 

[mikeyp24]

Milan Clarkson. Maybe you can trade him for Horton in a couple years.

I want to thank all FA signings today for making an actual decent contract in Hartnell seem spectacular and maybe makes Clarkson movable now.

 

[a587b]

Clarkson at free agency in 2013: 29 years old, 170 points in 430 games (.39 points per game), plus 14 points in 44 playoff games (.32 PPG).

Lucic: 28 years old, 397 points in 647 games (.61 points per game), plus 64 points in 101 playoff games (.63 PPG).

 

[PB37]

Enjoy Lucic, Oilers' fans. He's a warrior and often shows up in big games. He does have a tendency to be complacent and even disinterested/lazy. But when he's on, he's a force who has underrated skills and speed that will surprise you when he's at full flight.

 

[Avenger*]

How so?

Lucic is on decline and Larsson is a good 2nd pairing defender

Can't take a Blackhawks fan seriously when knocking contracts on another team. Might want to worry about the several over priced contracts on your own roster first.

 

[McWeber]

Congrats Edmonton, good signing other the term but these days you gotta give to get it seems.

Youll get 4 years out hopefully, he does have a back issue that will restrict his play and speed as the PF role wears on him.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheuermann%27s_disease

Worst case scenario this happens and we just place him on LTIR.

 

[snipes]

Seriously well done Oilers.

P.S. I hate you.

Battle of Alberta is coming back. You cowboy ****s better gear up for the best rivalry in hockey to return (love the Tkachuk pick, him and Bennett will be unreal together).

P.S. I hate you too!