Long rumored to be headed to Edmonton, Milan Lucic is set to sign a contract with the Oilers today, according to John Shannon of Sportsnet. Sportsnet’s Nick Kypreos reports it’s a seven year deal worth $42MM.
While he didn’t covet quite as much attention as Steven Stamkos did prior to his re-signing, Lucic was the top power forward available in free agency (we had him ranked third in our Top 50 list). In 2015-16 with the Kings, he played in 81 games, scoring 20 goals while adding 35 assists. That marked the fourth time in the last five full seasons (excluding the lockout-shortened campaign) that he has hit the 20 goal mark.
Despite being one of the most physical wingers in the league, Lucic has been remarkably durable. Over the last five years, he has missed just seven games (and two of those were due to suspensions). Nonetheless, given the fact that power forwards tend to wear out quicker over time, there could be some concern for the Oilers towards the back of the contract. In the meantime though, Lucic will provide Edmonton with a legitimate top line left winger for at least the next several years sliding into the recently-traded Taylor Hall’s spot.