Lucic has taken tons of heat for his play this season, by now I think most people has forgotten that he actually started out this season very well. Up until the christmas break Lucic had 26 points in 36 games with 13.2% shooting %, on pace for a 59 point season and pretty much everything we could hope to have from his contract. Most of this time was spent as RNH's winger so the notion that his production was a product of McDavid is certainly inaccurate.
Oilers were 17-17-2 and without a doubt still in the running for a playoff spot.
Exactly what caused the slump that wrecked his confidence completely this season is hard to tell. One thing is clear, after the christmas break he was a completely different player entirely. In his last 46 games his boxscore is 1-7-8. He has 79 shots and a shooting % of 1.3
By now his good start is pretty much lost on fans, on media and on himself. People are saying he is done and that his contract is horrible. That he's a useless slug and that we're doomed with him on a top #6 LW spot. That he is USELESS on the PP and shouldn't even be given the consideration.
There's obviously a risk his slump continues into next season but to say that he's a hopeless case can't be true. He was a player for half of last season. I think none more then Lucic wants to him to find his game again and the fanbase is too quick to give up hope on the guy.
His problem isn't his skill or toolset. It's not his style that's the biggest problem. He suffers from the Edmonton Syndrome. The utter lack of confidence crippling his play. If he can find his way he can be a 50p scorer on Draisaitl's wing.
For a guy with a similar base physique as Lucic, 10 lbs is a noticable difference, not in power but in stamina. While I think the weight problem is overstated, I believe there is some merit to Lucic getting a little bit lighter over the summer. It's a 82 game season and I'd hate to see him play for only 36 games once again