What Are the Contract Ramifications For The Bruins and Milan Lucic?

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic will enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program, the team announced Tuesday.

“The Boston Bruins have been in communication with the Lucic family, offering our support and assistance,” the Bruins said in a media release to The Boston Globe’s Kevin Paul Dupont. “The organization supports Milan’s decision to enter the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance program. “Lucic pled not guilty to assault and battery charges in Boston Municipal Court and was released on his own recognizance Tuesday morning. Conditions of his bail included avoiding the use of alcohol and avoiding abuse of the alleged victim, his wife Brittany.

Lucic was arrested early Saturday morning after he allegedly grabbed his wife by her hair and pulled her backward, according to a police report.

Also according to the police report, officers responded to Lucic’s apartment in the North End around 1 a.m. on Saturday after Lucic’s wife called 911 and said that her husband had tried to choke her. The Boston Globe reported that the incident began when Lucic returned home from a night out and could not locate his cell phone, per the report. He allegedly began to yell at his wife, believing that she had hidden his phone before he allegedly grabbed her by the hair and pulled her backwards when she told him she didn’t have it.

Lucic’s wife met with law enforcement in the apartment building’s lobby and denied that Lucic tried to strangle her, although an officer reportedly noticed redness on her chest. She declined medical treatment after meeting with police. Officers noted in the report that Lucic appeared intoxicated when he answered the door to his apartment.

The 35-year-old forward has played over 1,300 NHL games with Boston, Los Angeles, Edmonton, and Calgary. Lucic is under contract with Boston for the 2023-24 season with a $1 million salary cap hit and a $500,000 bonus. The 6-foot-3, 235-pound left wing has been on Long Term Injured Reserve since suffering an ankle injury in an October 21 game after taking a shot by teammate Derek Forbort off the foot.

Currently, the team does not plan to release Lucic, but can potentially terminate Lucic’s contract through the Morality Clause of the Standard NHL Player Contract which states that “a team can terminate a deal with a player who breaches the contract with ‘conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club’. Each player must agree to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play, and sportsmanship and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club, the league, or professional hockey generally”.

Lucic’s pretrial is scheduled for January 19 and he does not have to be present. The team is currently 13-1-3 and at the top of the NHL standings with a game at Florida on Wednesday night.

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