Please recall last Friday.
You'll remember the general uneasiness that enveloped the fan base just days after shipping the prodigy from Kingston to the New Jersey Devils for right-handed defenceman Adam Larsson. While Larsson will no doubt be asked to do some significant heavy lifting on defence, Milan Lucic will certainly be asked to his fair share of contributing.
I understand Lucic signed with Oiler's. He's another piece the oilers needed
— Curtis Stock (@CurtisJStock) June 28, 2016
Significant rumblings had occurred prior to Lucic's deal becoming official. When word finally was made official, there was a lot to digest. It was a seven year deal for 42 million dollars, a deal that was laden with a NMC through the first five years, and a limited NTC for the remaining two. A significant part of this deal is bonus money; which means that the deal is nearly buyout-proof. In other words: you're getting Milan Lucic for a long time. And, from the sounds of things, he'll be playing a significant amount of time on a line with Connor McDavid, who I've heard is a pretty good prospect for this club.
It's a lot of money for a lot of term, but there's no doubt that Milan Lucic brings a physical element that was previously absent for many years on the Oilers. It's also very good that Lucic can score, else all the physicality in the world doesn't amount to a hill of beans.
The Oilers finished last season tied with Buffalo in goals scored (199), good for 26th in the league. Quick maths suggest that's not a solid number.
Yesterday I took an informal Twitter poll to gauge where fans felt about Milan Lucic's first year with the Oilers. Today, let's see what you think.