Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic is something of an enigma.
Some nights, he has the game of a perennial NHL All-Star. Some nights he plays like a guy who doesn't even want to be on the ice.
It's not surprising, then, that rumors have begun to circulate that Lucic might not be long for the Boston organization.
Lucic currently carries a cap hit of $6 million. He has six goals and 11 assists through 36 games this season. Yes, he's been forced to play without his normal center, David Krejci, but as Fluto Shinzawa of The Boston Globe notes, only five wingers in the entirety of the NHL earn more annually than Lucic, and all of them have at least 10 more points on the season than the big, bad Bruin does.
But when the 26-year-old Lucic is on his game, he is nearly unstoppable.
Power forward is a wholly singular position in the NHL and one that GMs and fans alike cherish. It is not often a position which offers much in the way of career longevity, though, and Lucic, preparing for unrestricted free agency after next season, may not ever again get such a perfect crack at garnering top value on the open market.
The Bruins, for their part, would much prefer to keep Lucic.
"The Bruins don't want Lucic to go. Their preference would be to extend Lucic, with a three-year term at or slightly above his current price being ideal," Shinzawa writes.
The problem is, were Lucic to actually reach unrestricted free agency, there would be a large number of teams ready to open their wallets and their hearts to the big free agent. They'd most likely offer him similar value to Boston, but could potentially give him term that the Bruins just aren't willing to touch.
"If he reaches free agency, there will be a double-digit number of teams itching to submit their bids. Because of the competition, one or more teams (perhaps Vancouver, his hometown club, or Calgary) would present a seven-year offer. They would be willing to absorb the potential anchor at the back end of such a contract for the immediate benefit of landing Lucic."
As Shinzawa notes, the Bruins could simply allow Lucic to walk away after next year and use the $6 million they'd save to find his replacement. But where will Boston find such a player?
Lucic has a unique skill set that isn't easily replicated. He's a special player with certain flaws that you're either happy to live with or not.
There's always the trade route, but Lucic has a restricted no-trade clause and because of his significant cap hit, it's unlikely the team would receive value truly commensurate to moving a player of his stature.
Early season struggles or no, Lucic is just now entering his career prime and plays a position that sees more players fall off precipitously in their 30s (Nathan Horton, Ryan Malone, Brenden Morrow) than continue to produce at a high level (Jarome Iginla, Shane Doan).
For Lucic, who will be 28 when he hits the end of his current deal, the possibility of that last big contract on the free agent market may simply be too much to pass up.
For Boston, overcommitting, or seeing such an integral piece simply walk away, may be their only real choices.
