One of the most popular players in Boston Bruins history is returning to the Original Six franchise for the 2023-24 NHL season.
Free agent forward Milan Lucic, who spent the last four seasons with the Calgary Flames, has signed a contract with the Bruins. It’s a one-year deal with a $1 million base salary plus $500,000 in performance-based incentives. The salary cap hit is $1 million.
Lucic was selected by the Bruins in the second round of the 2006 NHL Draft. He quickly became a fan favorite with his power forward play style — including huge hits, exciting fights and lots of goals. He also played an important role on the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team.
The Bruins traded Lucic to the Los Angeles Kings in the summer of 2015, closing an eight-year run in Boston. He has played for the Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Flames over the last eight years.
What kind of role can we expect Lucic to play in Boston? Probably something similar to what Nick Foligno gave the Bruins last season. Lucic will provide toughness, bottom-six scoring and veteran leadership. He’ll likely play fourth-line left wing or be the extra forward. Lucic tallied 19 points (seven goals, 12 assists) in 77 games for the Flames last season.
The Bruins also agreed to sign center Morgan Geekie, left wing James van Riemsdyk and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk in free agency Saturday.