The 16-year NHL veteran admitted that the Maple Leafs expressed interest in bringing him to Toronto.
The 16-year NHL veteran admitted that the Maple Leafs expressed interest in bringing him to Toronto.
Brad Treliving was on a mission to add some "snot, piss and vinegar" to the Toronto Maple Leafs and looked at Milan Lucic as someone who could help.
On the 'Spittin' Chiclets' podcast, The returning Boston Bruins forward spoke candidly about the teams that were interested in the forward.
"I talked to Tre a little bit, obviously because I had Tre in Calgary (Flames) there. He expressed some interest and I was like, yeah, it would be tough to be a Leafer," Lucic said. "Just because of the Boston connection, yeah."
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ff4AEs8rKpM[/embed]
Lucic spent the last four seasons with Calgary where Treliving previously acquired him in a trade from the Edmonton Oilers.
The 35-year-old Lucic was an unrestricted free agent this summer and signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Bruins, returning to the club where he began the first eight seasons of his NHL career. The Leafs/Bruins rivalry is certainly there, given Lucic was on the 2013 team that handed the Leafs a crushing Game 7 loss in the first round of the playoffs.
The Vancouver native also revealed that the Chicago Blackhawks also had interest and mentioned that the lure of playing with Connor Bedard was intriguing.
Lucic had seven goals and 12 assists in 77 games with the Flames last season and found himself sitting as a healthy scratch at times. He represented Canada at the 2023 IIHF World Hockey Championship and helped the team win gold after scoring two goals and adding two assists in 10 games.
"I think it actually helped me get the interest that I did for UFA on July 1 because of all the scouts and stuff that came out and watched," Lucic said.
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