[Rumour] Lucic given permission to talk to other teams

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

The “deterrent” thing is a line the fan base was being sold. No doubt Lucic is tough as nails, but the first thing that comes to mind is Trouba laying those hits last year. Having Lucic in the lineup did not deter anything, and his fighting ability was useless, still can’t figure out why Looch never went after Trouba.

Deterrent is something that players talk about a lot. Tough for fans to put themselves in shoes of players who get intimidated by goons on other teams. You constantly hear stories of players being thankful a certain tough guy was on your team.

As for Trouba...the guy hits hard but clean. Not sure we need a nuclear option for him. It's on the players to keep head up and move the puck.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Lanny'sDaMan

I will forever love Looch for this alone.

It is RIDICULOUS that he got a penalty for that.

[Bear]

Keep an eye on Chicago...

[Reign of Fire]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

It is RIDICULOUS that he got a penalty for that.

He hit McDavid

[Calgary4LIfe]

That's the weird thing having a 'deterrent'. We as fans have no clue at times what is happening on the ice - what is being conveyed or not. I think the Benn example is a great one. I also remember Reaves hitting everything and being a pain in the ass to play against, until Lucic talked to him (I thought they were going to fight for the first time, but they didn't). I did see Reaves become invisible that game (and I remember he took out Brodie years ago, and continued to bang bodies hard after that too).


it is always a funny thing with people arguing over it all the time. I think it is one of those things that you don't always need, but then suddenly you do. Like the Rangers suddenly having to overpay to acquire Reaves because of Wilson. Lots of people thought that it was an overreaction and that they were stupid, but then you kind of look at what Lucic did to Buffalo years ago, and you can trace the tailspin of that organization to the moment that Lucic ran over Ryan Miller and much was made about that. Remember the rumble in Vancouver, and how Calgary seemed to 'take off' after that, while Vancouver imploded?


Colorado felt it was a need and went out and acquired MacDermid in 2021. They won the cup in 2022. Coincidence? Of course it was - mostly. They didn't win the cup because of MacDermid, but they did still win the cup WITH MacDermid, and that was the best team in hockey that year. Philly thought it was important enough to sign Desauliers for 4 years. FOUR YEARS!! Not something I would want to see unless that person is really good at playing hockey.


I look at it like an insurance policy. Sometimes it is just nice to know that you are covered, even if you never have to use it.



As for Gilbert - he doesn't need to be re-signed. He is here for another year, and I am happy he is. However, it is way too much to ask him to be that guy - he is a few leagues lower than Lucic, to say the least. I think he is a gamer, and he greatly contributes to 'team toughness', and is a pain to play against. I just don't think he can legitimately even compete with some of the Oilers like Nurse and Kane. I do think that Lucic kept both Nurse and Kane somewhat in check this past season, however. How do I know? I don't know why else they were both relatively quiet in those games. Maybe it is nothing more than confirmation bias - that's the easy opposing argument when you argue for something that seems a lot more qualitative than quantitative, right?


I would feel better with Lucic re-signed near league minimum. I don't think he will be an everyday player either, but I do think he is monstrous on the forecheck (him, Reaves and Wilson are all scary on the forecheck), brings a lot of leadership, and well.. he is an insurance policy in my mind.



I 100% understand how some people feel it is just a waste of a roster spot. My only rebuttal to that is, Conroy hinted at the fact that star players need to play more, so that means that the 4th line is likely to see much less ice this upcoming season. What prospect do you want to see on the 4th line instead of Lucic (or someone like him)? Duehr I think can be a good 3rd liner (or even better - who knows?). Zary, Pelletier, Coronato - they shouldn't be on the 4th line. Ruzicka I feel should be on the third line too (as long as he is properly motivated - and if so, even higher). I don't think starting kids on the 4th line is good for their development. It doesn't let them get into the game properly by always being 'cold', and then you don't even know what you have sometimes because of it (like St. Louis who was stapled to the 4th line from what I remember). Now, if you have a player with a 4th line (or even 3rd line ceiling), then sure. I just think it is unfair to start a scoring forward's career on a 4th line that is getting limited minutes, and you end up sitting on the bench thinking way too much about a mistake, rather than just going out and playing.



I think that losing Gudbranson one year, followed by Lucic the next, really takes that 'swagger' out of this group. I am all for having Pelletier, Coronato, and whomever else, but this team is decidedly smaller and much less physically intimidating. It sounds like Lucic won't be returning, but I do think that Conroy will probably look at addressing this. I am sure his new advisor will be telling him to do so. I remember in what I think was McGrattan's first year season in his second stint with the Flames that Iginla spoke about it. He said that he prefers there to be a 'heavy' on the team to do the policing, because when there isn't he feels the need to do it too often himself. Take that for what it is worth.


I do think that 'team toughness' can certainly compensate, but if your team is below average in that department with undersized players, especially when a 'youth movement' is underway, then I think it does become more than a simple insurance policy - I think it becomes a need on your team.



It will be interesting to see what (if anything) Conroy does to address it, and how it works out. I do really believe that Lucic has been a deterrent that we don't notice at times, and I also think he was often a bit too 'nice' at times. However, that suspension in Columbus a couple of seasons ago was plain stupid IMO. Much worse happens without any fines or suspensions.

[Red Slinger]

Originally Posted by Bear

Keep an eye on Chicago...

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking too. Not specifically because of Other Connor but because they are likely losing Toews and will have a lot of young guys on the roster. They need a veteran whose been through it all and can be a leader in the room.

Also, despite him usually only fighting heavyweights, he is a physical presence on the ice and can still make people move the puck a little faster than they want.