I just heard this and I wanted to comment on it briefly.
On this evening’s Jason Gregor show the host and guest Ryan Rishaug were discussing Bob Stauffer’s tweet from earlier in the day and basically going over which players they thought Stauffer was talking about.
This is exactly what Jason Gregor said on his show but if you want the audio click here.
I’ve heard that he (Lucic) would be open to a trade but obviously he’s going to have to agree to the city.
BAM! Just like that Jason Gregor has opened the floodgates on what will be the Summer of Lucic!
Rishaug went the other way with it though, he said that Lucic should come back and dig in and that he’s got something left to show the team being that it’s only year 3 with the Oilers.
As for Chiarelli, Rishaug also commented that he can’t keep dealing guys after a down year and he has to live with the choices he’s made unless, and this might be something but it might not be, there’s a reason you have to move Lucic.
Is there a non-hockey reason that Lucic might be open to being traded? Stauffer talked about Lucic having to get his life in order off the ice and Milan himself said that 90% of last year was mental…
Now Gregor also mentioned that Stauffer said it would a veteran that would be going out. Singular. A veteran. But in Stauffer’s tweet, he said “a contract with term”…
Those can be two VERY different things. in this case, Milan Lucic is both. A veteran who has a contract with term.
He’s also #18 on the TSN Trade Bait List but Oscar Klefbom is not. I find that odd given how much we’ve heard Klefbom’s name and not Lucic’s.
If Lucic is traded, the return is probably not going to be ideal. A bad contract coming back maybe with shorter term but higher AAV. Maybe a good prospect would have to go with Lucic.
Ryan O’Reilly is a name that Bob Stauffer mentioned this morning on his show as an option. He also talked about the Carolina Hurricanes and Justin Faulk but really played that one down because Faulk had a bad game vs. Edmonton last year (what?)… Stauffer talked about the Montreal Canadiens too and we know that the Habs had interest in Lucic before he signed with Edmonton. Would Weber come back in a deal like that?
I imagine the Loui Eriksson rumors will pop up again sooner or later too because the Canucks would love to have Lucic in their lineup.
What do you think? Would you like the Oilers to suck it up and deal the big man or should they live with the choices they made and keep him in hopes that he bounces back Eberle-style next year?
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