Milan Lucic

Yes, Lucic is overpaid (his contract has two years left on it at a cap hit of $5.25 million), and yes, his effectiveness is limited to certain areas, but the big man is actually of use in certain fantasy leagues depending on your settings. Lucic has settled into a depth scoring role over the past four seasons, finishing with somewhere between six to 10 goals each year. He's also posted no fewer than 139 hits in each of the last 13 campaigns and has finished with 200-plus hits on seven separate occasions. In short, Lucic is worth a late-round selection if your league rewards hits, but he should be left on the wire in all other formats.

Lucic posted his second straight 20-point season in 2019-20, albeit in 68 games compared to 79 outings the year before. There's reason to be cautiously optimistic with the bruising winger -- he racked up six points in 10 postseason games for the Flames last year. It's unlikely he'll return to 50-point form ever again, but it's possible Lucic could get back over a 30-point pace in 2020-21. Combine that with his average of nearly three hits per game over the bulk of his career, and Lucic could have some value in deeper formats that reward physicality. Expect the 32-year-old to work in a bottom-six role while occasionally being deployed on the second power-play unit.

Lucic appeared in 79 games with the Oilers in 2018-19 and found the scoresheet just 20 times. Coming off career lows in both points and ice time (13:14 on average), the bruising forward is not the fantasy asset he once was. But Lucic still brings an undeniable physical element to the game. He recorded 259 hits in 2018-19, his most since 2008-09, so there is still value to be had from deploying the big man on a nightly basis. That said, the dropoff in offensive production has turned Lucic into a fantasy outcast, and apart from deeper leagues, the 32-year-old should go undrafted in most leagues. Last season saw Lucic take just 74 shots after five-straight seasons of 100-plus.

The big bruiser played a full season with Edmonton in 2017-18 but you couldn't tell it from his offensive numbers alone. Lucic finished with 34 points (10 goals and 24 assists) -- his lowest point total since 2012-13 in Boston -- when he played in only 46 games. However, Lucic's physical game didn't suffer as he delivered 254 hits for his highest total since 2014-15 (259). The Oilers tried to trade Looch this offseason but were unsuccessful; they are still on the hook for the remaining five years of his contract. The forceful winger can still carve out a role in leagues that support his edgy style of play, and one can only hope the lack of offense proves to be an outlier.

Lucic’s first season with Edmonton after signing a seven-year contract didn't come with any surprises other than the fact that joining forces with Connor McDavid didn't elevate him to new heights. Well, it did in some respects; he nearly doubled his career bests in power-play goals and power-play points with 12 and 25, respectively, but that accounted for almost precisely half his totals of 23 goals and 50 points. Even though he set a new career best in shots on goal (175), Lucic’s lack of even-strength production probably left a lot of fantasy owners wanting more after they drafted him with the expectation of a McDavid boost, especially considering that his rating dropped from plus-26 in 2015-16 to minus-3 last year. His physical play dropped off noticeably, too, as the winger recorded a seven-year low in PIM (50) and a four-year low in hits (202). Still just 29 years old, Lucic isn't due to hit his decline phase yet, but the one thing he lacks -- speed -- has become one of the league’s most coveted attributes, and he wasn't able to keep up with the pace of the McDavid line. Nonetheless, he'll retain a hefty power-play role and probably churn out 50-ish points again alongside Leon Draisaitl on the Oilers’ second forward trio.

After a successful one-year stint in Los Angeles during which Lucic remained a major physical threat while seeing his offensive production bounce back from a disappointing final campaign in Boston, he signed up for a seven-year term with the Oilers over the offseason. Lucic brings a much-needed infusion of grit to the first line of a talent-laden Edmonton team, and he does so without appearing likely to cause a big drop in scoring. Taylor Hall’s likely replacement on Connor McDavid’s left wing has eight seasons with at least 75 PIM under his belt, but has also potted 20-plus goals in four of the last six. His net-front presence should mesh nicely with McDavid’s pass-first mentality both at even strength and on the power play, though a lack of improvement from the perennially dreadful Oilers could put the gritty veteran’s streak of six straight seasons with a positive rating in jeopardy.

Lucic was one of the hardest working and most dependable players on the Bruins over the past eight seasons. In 2014-15, Lucic had another solid season, posting 18 goals and 26 assists in 81 games. While that was off the pace of his three previous non-lockout-shortened seasons, where he averaged more than 60 points per season, those totals were still good enough to keep him fantasy relevant. Lucic’s biggest decline in production came on the power play, where he scored just two goals and added six assists with the extra man. Furthermore, his shooting percentage dropped from 15.7 percent in 2013-14 to 12.8 percent last season. New surroundings could help Lucic, as his arrival in Los Angeles will bring Anze Kopitar and Marian Gaborik as his new linemates, and both players should bring the most out of the power forward's game. While Lucic may not hit the 60-point threshold, he’s a good bet to get closer to that mark than he did last season.

Lucic clearly put his 2012-13 regular season struggles behind him this past season, and while manning left wing on the Bruins’ top line, he once again played a confident brand of hockey, using his strength and deceptive speed very much to his advantage. In doing so, he recorded 24 goals and 59 points in 80 games, to go along with 91 penalty minutes and a plus-30 rating. Though he loses a talented linemate in Jarome Iginla, Lucic is on track to continue to work with slick pivot David Krejci and quite possibly, right winger Loui Eriksson, who is a prime bounce-back candidate. While there is generally not much subtlety to Lucic's game, the bruising left winger can be a dominant power forward when he’s able to keep his feet moving. Moreover, Lucic possesses something of a goal-scorers’ knack and a surprising touch as passer. At 26, he’s in his prime and with a few more bounces his way and possibly more shots - with Iginla no longer on his line - it’s not hard to imagine Lucic reaching the 30-goal plateau in 2014-15, a mark he last hit in 2010-11. A return to the 100 PIM is also plausible, which helps his fantasy cause in leagues where toughness is rewarded.

The 2012-13 regular season was a frustrating one for the Bruins’ burly power forward, as he totaled just seven goals and twenty assists in 46 games. Things got so bad that Lucic was made a healthy scratch for a game late in the season. His three-year, $18 million extension was starting to look like a shaky investment, but a strong showing in the playoffs – seven goals and 19 points in 22 games – suggests that he’ll return to form in 2013-14. When he is on, Lucic is an intimidating freight train on skates, with a goal-scorers’ knack and a surprising touch as passer. He’s slated to work on the Bruins’ top line this coming season, which is centered by the nifty David Krejci, so a bounce back is in order for the bruising left winger, who also helps fantasy owners in the PIM category. To date, he has racked up 600 penalty minutes in 405 career NHL games.

The rugged Lucic once again provided owners with solid all-around production from the left wing slot in 2011-12, chipping in 26 goals and 61 points, as well as 135 penalty minutes in 81 games. He’s a classic power forward with surprisingly soft hands. The only things that limit Lucic’s fantasy upside is that he works for a team that boasts such a balanced attack, while he also doesn’t rack up a large percentage of his production via the power play, having notched just 11 points on the man advantage last season.

Lucic, who broke out this past season with 30 goals and 62 points to go along with 121 PIMs and a plus-28 rating, will enter the 2011-12 season as one of the higher ranked fantasy left wingers on most people's draft boards, especially in leagues that count more non-scoring categories. He's a freight train on skates, who displays a surprising amount of touch (both as a shooter and a passer) for such a big bruiser.

Lucic battled nagging injuries (notably a high ankle sprain) during the 2009-10 regular season, finishing with just nine goals and 20 points in 50 games, but the budding power forward's strong playoff performance (nine points and 19 PIMs in 13 games) bodes well for an uptick in production this coming season. When he's on, Lucic is an intimidating and bone-jarring hitter, who is tough to knock off the puck. While he'll never be smoothest player out there, he does possess solid instincts on offense and assuming he plays on one of the B's top lines, which seems likely, he could be a useful fantasy left wing, especially in leagues where PIMs and plus/minus are factored in.

Lucic showed glimpses of his elite power forward upside during the regular season, finishing with 17 goals and 42 points in 72 games. He also ended up with a plus-17 rating and a team-high 136 PIMs. He then stepped up his game a notch in the playoffs, recording 12 points in 11 games to go along with a slew of bone-jarring hits. What stood out in the postseason was his developing confidence with the puck, which we think foreshadows a leap in offensive production from him this season. He’s entering the final season of his entry-level contract and given the way he continually improves, Lucic -- who was invited to Canada's Olympic orientation camp -- will be due for a significant raise in 2010-11.

Forget about the raw numbers. 27 points are nothing to write home about, but what the (then) 19-year-old Lucic brought to the B's when he made the team against the odds last fall, was a young, gritty throwback in the mold of past fan favorite, Terry O'Reilly. In a nutshell, the rugged Lucic was born to be a Bruin. He had a team-high 13 fights last year, so he's obviously tough, but he was disciplined enough to hold the minors down, to the tune of 89 total PIM. His skating could use some work, but the hockey sense is already there and Lucic has shown a propensity to improve rapidly both in juniors and the pros, which bodes well for added production on offense. In fact, we would not be surprised if his numbers double and his fan club membership quadruples this season.

Lucic will spend another season as captain of the Vancouver Giants (WHL) in 2007-08.

He's a bit of a project right now and won't make an NHL dent for years.