The story that has gained momentum over the last couple of days involves Milan Lucic's soundbite from his interview on Monday with TSN1040 that "It's obviously something that's been a dream of mine since I've been a kid, is to play in your hometown and play for the Canucks," per Craig Hagerman of The Score.
This isn't the first time that we've pondered the question of whether Lucic would be a good fit for Vancouver.
On the plus size—he's a hometown boy, a bruiser at 6'3" and 235 pounds, and should be in the prime of his career at 27 years old. In addition to his big body and his mean streak, he has shown a nice touch with the puck, scoring 24 goals or more in three of his eight NHL seasons.
Lucic also has history with Jim Benning, which could make it easier for the Canucks to submit a winning bid if the big winger does hit unrestricted free agency on July 1 of next year.
On the minus side—my biggest issue with Lucic is that he's a hothead. We've seen it with some of his undisciplined play on the ice and he often seems to speak before he thinks.
Remember when he said "Other than being at Rogers Arena, no one will ever see me in downtown Vancouver ever again?" That statement came less than two years ago—after a confrontation outside a Granville St. bar in December of 2013, from The Canadian Press via Sportsnet.
Perhaps he's maturing, but my gut feeling is that if Lucic signed on to play with the Canucks, he'd continue to get himself into tough situations that would make him a lightning rod for fans and a distraction for the team.
I felt like Lucic's head wasn't in the game last season, when his production dropped to 18 goals and 44 points and he lost one of the most notorious fights of the year, to Dalton Prout of the Columbus Blue Jackets:
Then there's the question of how Lucic will fare with the Los Angeles Kings this season. Playing with another one of Vancouver's biggest rivals, he'll get a chance to stir up the hate from Canucks fans.
And what about his performance? I don't want to see Jim Benning offer Lucic a big-money, long-term deal if his season with L.A. goes badly. But if he does well, his price on the open market is going to go through the roof.
The Kings paid handsomely when they acquired Lucic—especially if they'll only have him for one season—giving up Martin Jones, Colin Miller and a first-round draft pick. The Bruins then flipped Jones back to San Jose for Sean Kuraly and another first-rounder.
Still, I feel like if the Canucks were ever going to acquire Lucic, that might have been their only real window of opportunity—when he was coming off a down season with lots of question marks surrounding his play. Though Benning might not need to give up anything to sign him next summer, the price will be high in terms of that next contract. He's already making a real salary of $6.5 million for 2015-16, with a cap hit of $6 million.
Finally—while Benning's a fan of Lucic's, it's safe to say that another one of Benning's boys, Ryan Miller, is not.
From November of 2011:
Here's Miller's reaction following the incident:
We have seen Ryan Kesler and Corey Perry learn to co-exist in Anaheim, and Roberto Luongo and Dave Bolland are now teammates in Florida. Players do find ways to put past gripes behind them. Could Miller do it with Lucic?
If you'd like to listen to Lucic's interview with Bro Jake and Dave Pratt in its entirety, you can do so here:
Though Lucic's line about playing for the Canucks has drawn all the attention, Steve Ewen of The Province, who has covered Lucic since his days with the Vancouver Giants, offers one of the more level-headed takes on the interview, and on Lucic's mindset:
Lucic, 27, followed that up with “but right now the main focus is going down to L.A. and trying to make the most of that,” but that seems to be being glossed over....
Lucic is a loyal guy, too. He still hangs out with his childhood buddies. He talks to Giants general manager Scott Bonner maybe more than any of the club’s alumni.
It’s easy to suggest that he will appreciate that the Kings traded for him and be keen on extending his stay there.
In the end, Ewen simply says that "Nothing is certain just yet."
Because of the baggage I've outlined above, I'd have a hard time getting on board with a Lucic acquisition. Where do you stand?
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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