Brutal blow to Milan Lucic in St. Louis amid NHL return

The clock is ticking down on Milan Lucic’s professional tryout with the St. Louis Blues and bad luck has struck. The veteran forward, who is attempting a return to the NHL this season, has been listed as day to day after sustaining a lower-body injury.

Blues head coach Jim Montgomery revealed earlier this week that Lucic is believed to be dealing with a groin injury.

“He’s day-to-day. He’s walking around fine. It’s just a matter of being able to push out there,“ Montgomery said Wednesday. ”It’s unfortunate timing for him and us for the evaluation process to see if he can make the club.

“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.”

Lucic is hoping to return to his NHL career after signing a PTO deal in St. Louis back in August. He hasn’t played in the NHL since a brief four-game stint with the Boston Bruins in 2023. He took a leave of absence that season and entered the NHL/NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program after he was arrested following a physical altercation with his wife Brittany Lucic. Lucic has since been reinstated by the league and addressed his arrest head on and took responsibility. He is now nearly two years sober and he and Brittany have rehabilitated their marriage.

With the focus on his career as well, we can only hope for Lucic that this is a minor setback and that he will crack the Blues’ main roster for their season opener.

In 1,177 games with the Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, Lucic has racked up 233 goals, 353 assists, and 1301 PIM. He was also a key member of the 2011 Stanley Cup-winning Bruins squad.