Lucic (bad deal?)

[Dizzay]

Lucic is an absolute beast and him playing with McDavid is going to be very good for the Oilers. So many people on here speak about Lucic, the guy they love to hate. I've watched every Bruins game he played and a lot of Kings games.

People say McDavid is too fast for him, well Lucic played his best hockey with the Bruins in his final year when he was placed with Pasta and Spooner, two very fast players. He's getting paid to score, hit, fight, and be a leader and you'll get all of that from him. You can book him in for 25+25=50 100Pims, 8 fights

 

[ManofSteel55]

And some people like myself thought that was done to make a statement and that he would eventually get it back.

Literally nobody in the know thinks Ference has a shot of getting the C back. He likely is never going to play again, he will be on LTIR. At this point, Ference getting the C back is only slightly more likely than Nail Yakupov getting it.

 

[ManofSteel55]

This.

I watched him in Junior and have followed him since. In my opinion he is a poor fit in Edmonton. Lucic doesn't play his best hockey unless he is fully engaged. Motivation might be an issue? Which Oiler will bark at him in the room?

Matt Hendricks doesn't seem to have an issue kicking guys in the butt when needed. Plus, this is Edmonton. The fans will give it to him if he is half arsing it.

 

[WHOneedsSOX]

Lucic is an absolute beast and him playing with McDavid is going to be very good for the Oilers. So many people on here speak about Lucic, the guy they love to hate. I've watched every Bruins game he played and a lot of Kings games.

People say McDavid is too fast for him, well Lucic played his best hockey with the Bruins in his final year when he was placed with Pasta and Spooner, two very fast players. He's getting paid to score, hit, fight, and be a leader and you'll get all of that from him. You can book him in for 25+25=50 100Pims, 8 fights

He was best with Carter and Toffoli last season with the Kings which is their fastest line by far. He's best playing the north-south game. Really underrated passer and often looks pass too much on 3 on 2 or 2 on 1's. Took him a long time to gel with Kopitar once he got moved to that line but eventually they both figured it out and then that line was beastly. Whichever line Lucic was on, and Jim Fox talked about this a lot last season, that line was the best offensively for the Kings.

I remember reading a tweet Pierre LeBrun sent out last year saying an anonymous scout said how much room Kopitar had to operate which is why his numbers went back up to career average numbers and he must love playing next to Lucic.

 

[TeddyBare]

I'd say Backes deal is worse than Lucic's

1) Backes
2) Lucic
3) Ladd
4) Eriksson

That would be my order for worst deals.

 

[Jumptheshark]

I'd say Backes deal is worse than Lucic's

1) Backes
2) Lucic
3) Ladd
4) Eriksson

That would be my order for worst deals.

Swap 2 for 4. The eriksson contract only looks good till the Sedins wheels fall. He is also older than lucic

 

[Breakers]

Swap 2 for 4. The eriksson contract only looks good till the Sedins wheels fall. He is also older than lucic

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

 

[Rebuilt]

This signing allowed us to trade Hall for Larsson. Its one I make under the pretext we were moving Hall for a defender. Yes its going to suck the final 3 years but if its the only one the Oilers have, its not the end of the world.

 

[tucker3434]

Lucic is going to be one of the pieces that pulls them firmly out of the basement, but long term, I also think he'll be one of the pieces that hinders their chances at going deep into the playoffs.

 

[bucks_oil]

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

Hummph... was going to say Ericsson for the exact opposite reasons. Speed and agility are the first thing to go simply through the passage of the years. Decreased physicality is usually a result of injury, which Lucic has had very little of.

Anyway, we can argue it either way, but there are plenty of guys who built careers on physicality who lasted into their forties. Thinking Bertuzzi in particular, who played a similar style of game (albeit more talented version of it).

In short, aging doesn't make you smaller, and age itself doesn't make you weaker. But age will impact your speed and your agility.

 

[TeddyBare]

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

This is what I thought as well.

Lucic depends on his body to get open which will ware down

Ericsson uses his IQ to get open.

 

[Toggel]

This is what I thought as well.

Lucic depends on his body to get open which will ware down

Ericsson uses his IQ to get open.

On Average Eriksson has missed more games per year and is also 3 years older.

I would bet that Eriksson slows down much before Lucic. Eriksson's production will also rely on the Sedins production who only have a year or two left.

 

[McFlyingV]

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

This is what I thought as well.

Lucic depends on his body to get open which will ware down

Ericsson uses his IQ to get open.

You guys the same person? You can't both honestly be using the wrong spelling of the word "wear", right?

 

[snipes]

You guys the same person? You can't both honestly be using the wrong spelling of the word "wear", right?

Definitely an odd idiosyncrasy, I noticed both spelt "wear" as "ware" as well.

 

[Menzinger]

I think Ference retains the C while Looch gets an A and probably either Eberle or McDavid. These are the reasons why neither the Ference deal or the Lucic deal can be measured on the ice alone. There is an entire world that neither your nor I are privy to and that is the room. What we can see though is leadership, and the knowledge and experience of having been there and knowing what it takes to win.

How much would you be willing to pay your coach? Would you be willing to pay a big-brother more than he was worth on the ice just because he is also coaching? What is that price?

The deal will be worth it in the long run no matter what because there is more to winning than showing up for the opening face-off every night.

Coaches don't count against the cap....

 

[Mr Positive]

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

you need more info to say that Lucic will fall off a cliff than the style he plays. There are physical players that last very long. Scott Stevens retired at 41. Imo physical players fall off a cliff when their style leads them to get as much punishment as they dish out, or if they rely on speed. Lucic's injury history shows he's not getting all that battered by the style he plays. His unique physique gives good reason that he's more than just lucky to have been this sturdy so far (*knocks on wood*)

I know there was statistical proof that Lucic was in decline in Boston, but his revived play in LA threw that in the trash. All that's been proven imo is that Lucic is a complementary player, who is only as good as the team around him, and his decline in Boston was really the Bruins' decline.

edit: Also, btw there are plenty of skilled, two way players who don't age well too. For a player like Ladd, I would suggest there is some real proof that he is in full decline today. He had a bit of a rough season for Winnipeg, but more concerning is that he didn't do well for Chicago after that. Eriksson will probably be okay, but even that is not certain.

 

[Kurt Cobain]

Let the season start and see how he does first.

 

[Street Hawk]

This signing allowed us to trade Hall for Larsson. Its one I make under the pretext we were moving Hall for a defender. Yes its going to suck the final 3 years but if its the only one the Oilers have, its not the end of the world.

It all depends how lucic ages. First 4 years he will be productive. Just a question of how much he has left in the final 3 years.

Because by then, Connor, Leon, Jesse, and others will either be on their 2nd nhl contract for big money. So, having G $6 million in Milan won't be that great.

Hard to say what teams that have traditionally taken on high cap, but lower dollar final deals will be willing to do in 4 years.

Arizona and Carolina have young teams and building via the draft. Their core should in 4 years be commanding larger dollars and thus those clubs might not be able to take on a lucic contract, despite I only paying a lower amount, assuming they deal for him after he gets paid his signing bonus, ala Bernier. Current CBA requires a player to be compensated within 35% of their cap hit. So, he'd have to be dealt after he gets his signing bonus from Edmonton to make it worthwhile for another team. If Milan is still worth $4 million in annual compensation The oilers won't trade him. His production would have to be closer to a sub $3 million or so player to move him.

 

[Choralone]

That's fine, but when we're talking about recent performance, i.e. the BS that 'based on last year he's declining,' last year is extremely relevant, much more relevant than the previous.

Not to mention last year was his first year in the Western Conference. Last season's performance should carry a lot of weight if we're trying to project how Lucic will do going forward.

 

[CanadianDestroyer]

The big reason why the Oilers signed Lucic is they need a winger to feed the puck to McDavid meaning the team finally understands that when you draft 1st overall you build the team around that player. This is why the team never flourished under Hall because they didn't sign/trade on what they needed in that context.

 

[Bank Shot]

Nah Lucic is way worse.

Ericsson is more finesse and he is a 2 way player.

Lucic's game is dependent on physicality so he is going to ware down WAY faster.

Being big is an advantage when it comes to longevity.

Look at the longest playing players of all time. Howe, Messier, Jagr. All big guys.

Hall Gill played until he was 37. It wasn't because he had rocket skates. Chara is 39.

Dave Andreychuk. Big and slow. Won a cup at 39.

When you look at the top 25 NHLers with the most games played of all time, only 5 are under 6 foot. Recchi, Delvecchio, Gilmour, Yzerman, and Horton.

Delvecchio and Horton at 5'11" and 5'10" also played during a time when they wouldn't have been considered small.

Physical guys in the top 25 of all time: Messier, Howe, Chelios, Stevens, Shanahan, Brind'Amour, Doan.

Small guys don't last in the NHL. Big guys do.

 

[theMajor]

it was a bad deal the day it was signed

 

[Orca Whalers]

Canucks fan here. Lucic was long rumored to sign with us due to his Vancouver roots and idolizing the Canucks as a kid. I can state with utmost confidence the Canucks dodged a 50 caliber bullet. Prime Lucic was the Boston Bruins days. After went to LA his game dropped dramatically. Part of that was due to playing in the much tougher Western Conference.

I'll bet dollars to donuts this Lucic signing turns into an absolute disaster by the end of year. Signing him to a astronomical contract when other GM's didn't says a lot. The case here with Edmonton is they have to overpay to attract free agents. This has always been the case. Players for one reason or another don't find Edmonton an attractive destination. This can only be offset by big money offers. The drafting of McDavid will help as he's the next Crosby but let's be honest Edmonton got extremely lucky getting that #1 pick.

I would not be shocked if the Oiler's buyout Lucic in 2-3 years. These are the types of contracts that always end up burning your butt. What the Oiler's should have done with the money is target a legitimate top pairing defenseman. And no Larsson is not a #1 d-man. I'm talking about a Shattenkirk or Pernell Karl

 

[Blitzago*]

Canucks fan here. Lucic was long rumored to sign with us due to his Vancouver roots and idolizing the Canucks as a kid. I can state with utmost confidence the Canucks dodged a 50 caliber bullet. Prime Lucic was the Boston Bruins days. After went to LA his game dropped dramatically. Part of that was due to playing in the much tougher Western Conference.

I'll bet dollars to donuts this Lucic signing turns into an absolute disaster by the end of year. Signing him to a astronomical contract when other GM's didn't says a lot. The case here with Edmonton is they have to overpay to attract free agents. This has always been the case. Players for one reason or another don't find Edmonton an attractive destination. This can only be offset by big money offers. The drafting of McDavid will help as he's the next Crosby but let's be honest Edmonton got extremely lucky getting that #1 pick.

I would not be shocked if the Oiler's buyout Lucic in 2-3 years. These are the types of contracts that always end up burning your butt. What the Oiler's should have done with the money is target a legitimate top pairing defenseman. And no Larsson is not a #1 d-man. I'm talking about a Shattenkirk or Pernell Karl

His game dropped so much that he still hit his career avg in points?

I'm guessing you have no clue about how his season went last year.

 

[Draiskull]

Canucks fan here. Lucic was long rumored to sign with us due to his Vancouver roots and idolizing the Canucks as a kid. I can state with utmost confidence the Canucks dodged a 50 caliber bullet. Prime Lucic was the Boston Bruins days. After went to LA his game dropped dramatically. Part of that was due to playing in the much tougher Western Conference.

I'll bet dollars to donuts this Lucic signing turns into an absolute disaster by the end of year. Signing him to a astronomical contract when other GM's didn't says a lot. The case here with Edmonton is they have to overpay to attract free agents. This has always been the case. Players for one reason or another don't find Edmonton an attractive destination. This can only be offset by big money offers. The drafting of McDavid will help as he's the next Crosby but let's be honest Edmonton got extremely lucky getting that #1 pick.

I would not be shocked if the Oiler's buyout Lucic in 2-3 years. These are the types of contracts that always end up burning your butt. What the Oiler's should have done with the money is target a legitimate top pairing defenseman. And no Larsson is not a #1 d-man. I'm talking about a Shattenkirk or Pernell Karl

Well Lucic is better than Eriksson and Larsson better than Gudbranson so Oilers fans are not really worried about your assessment.