With the 2025-26 NHL season around the corner, there are very different realities across the nation. Brad Marchand and the Florida Panthers are eyeing a three-peat. The Boston Bruins are hoping to right the ship after a turbulent year. Meanwhile, the St. Louis Blues are determined to prove that last season’s late hot streak can be sustained over a full campaign.
The Blues are rolling their dice with Milan Lucic, who won the 2011 Stanley Cup with Marchand back in Boston. Lucic signed a professional tryout contract (PTO) with St. Louis, but is facing an uphill battle to make the opening night roster. The Blues will open the 2025-26 NHL campaign on October 9 against the Minnesota Wild at home.
The odds of Lucic being on the ice at Enterprise Center for that Central Division showdown are quite low. However, they are never zero. As Lucic battles with an injury, the clock is ticking for him to recover and make his case to Blues head coach Jim Montgomery and the staff.
“[Lucic is] day-to-day. He’s walking around fine. It’s just a matter of being able to push out there,“ Montgomery admitted, per The Athletic. ”It’s unfortunate timing for him and us for the evaluation process to see if he can make the club.“
Milan Lucic #17 of the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on October 11, 2023
Battle-ready
At 37 and with more than 15 years of NHL experience, Lucic brings plenty of mileage. The Blues could benefit from his veteran presence this season, but Montgomery and company won’t take on a passenger.
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If Lucic is signed, he’ll be in St. Louis to contribute consistently. To make that happen, the Blues need to see how he performs on the ice. On that note, the head coach in The Lou dropped a concise message for the forward.
“If he’s really day-to-day, and he’s back to play next week, he’ll get into games and we’ll see if he can make the team,” Jim Montgomery commented on the situation.
Jim Montgomery at Wrigley Field on December 30, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Why has Lucic been out of the league?
Lucic has been out for a while. He took an indefinite leave of absence in 2023, and since, the 37-year-old winger hasn’t played in an NHL game. He was accused of domestic violence before all charges were dropped by the prosecution. Afterwards, Lucic completed the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program and was reinstated by the league.
It’s no surprise Montgomery is backing Lucic’s second chance. He was Lucic’s last coach in Boston during the 2023-24 season. Although the Canadian winger suited up for only four games that year alongside Marchand and company, it seems Montgomery has unfinished business with the former 2006 second-round pick.
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Still, it’s now on Lucic to bounce back from his setback and prove his worth to the team. After all, all roads may still lead to Rome—or in this case, the Rome of the West.
