Forward Milan Lucic will remain in St. Louis to rehabilitate a lower-body injury, keeping alive the possibility of signing a contract with the Blues, general manager Doug Armstrong said Tuesday morning.
Lucic attended Blues training camp on professional tryout hoping to earn a contract in St. Louis, but injured his groin during practice on Sept. 23 and returned to play the final three preseason games for the Blues. Armstrong said the Blues could sign Lucic to another PTO once he’s healthy again.
“We were hoping to the answer by now, but when he got hurt early in camp, and was fighting through it, my belief was you’ve got to get healthy to give yourself the best chance,” Armstrong said. “An old pro, he kept fighting through it, to the point where he couldn’t any longer. I talked to him about taking a deep breath, understanding that there’s light at the end of the tunnel with another in-season PTO that we can talk about, but get yourself healthy first.”
Lucic, 37, has not played in the NHL in almost two years as he entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program following his arrest in an alleged domestic violence incident. Charges against Lucic were dropped.
If Lucic makes the team, it will be as a physical fourth-liner with grit and toughness.
“It’s been hard for him,” Armstrong said. “He hadn’t played in so long, and then he gets hurt. His style of play is more presented to NHL games. The caliber of competition was good, but he wasn’t looking to impose his will on a junior kid. I think he showed areas that he can improve our team. He’s got a massive reputation, and that’s an important part of our game when you see what’s going on in preseason. We want to continue down the path with him.”
Despite Oskar Sundqvist’s injury (week to week, lower-body), Lucic likely needs to unseat a healthy forward.
“He has to knock out somebody that is healthy on our roster, and we’re not there yet,” Armstrong said.
Losing Ellis
The Blues lost No. 3 goaltender Colten Ellis on waivers Monday, when he was claimed by Buffalo. Ellis would have been the starter in Springfield and the first option to come up to the NHL if Jordan Binnington or Joel Hofer got injured.
Buffalo is without starting goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, but Armstrong said he was still “somewhat surprised” that Ellis got claimed.
“Sometimes, when you’re dealing with injuries, you’re looking for stability of someone that has a proven track record that the players can see,” Armstrong said. “But he had a great year last year. He’s progressed very well. When I called him yesterday, I said ‘I’m really happy for you. I’m really disappointed for the organization because you’ve done everything you can do to put yourself in a great spot.’ He was clearly our No. 3 going into the year. Now he has the opportunity to take whatever Buffalo gives him and carve out an NHL career quickly. He wasn’t going to get that there, obviously, with Hofer and Binnington.”
Armstrong said, for now, the Thunderbirds are expected to go with a goaltending tandem of Vadim Zherenko and Will Cranley.
“It’s a great business, the agents are always looking out for the St. Louis Blues,” Armstrong said. “My phone is ringing off the hook on potential guys to help us. It’s great to see everyone cares about us.”
Sundqvist suffered the injury during practice on Sunday, and Armstrong said he would not play Thursday vs. Minnesota.
Perhaps one of the most encouraging things about this preseason was that the Blues have put last year’s magical late run firmly behind them.
Lucic can still sign a contract with the Blues, or the club can sign him to a 10-day PTO that would allow him to practice with the team but not play in any games.
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Matthew DeFranks | Post-Dispatch
Hockey reporter
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