Lucic is the latest young Bruin to be rewarded with a contract extension in the last few weeks, joining Brad Marchand and Tyler Seguin who signed a four-year and six-year extension, respectively. Lucic has been bit of an enigma in the last year or so, as he has been often criticized for his streaky play and inconsistent offensive production given his role on the team. Although he played the majority of last season without linemate Nathan Horton, he still managed to score 26 goals and register 61 points in 81 games.
Going back to last season, it is clear that Bruins General Manager Peter Chiarelli and the rest of the Bruins' front office is more than content with locking up their core players rather than pursue the top free agents (thank God we can put the Rick Nash talk to bed-thanks Rangers).
With the lockout looming, Chiarelli did all he could do to sure up his current core players under the rules and regulations of the current CBA before the 11:59 PM deadline this evening. While some could argue that Lucic may be overpaid based on his production, he is still your first line winger and more importantly, a leader on this team.
As his role has evolved from fourth line bruiser to first line scorer, Lucic has become more of a barometer on the Bruins. More often than not, if he is playing his physical brand of hockey, the team usually follows suit. Sometimes however, he is passive and does not appear to make much of an impact for long stretches of play, especially in the postseason. Not only does this hurt his line, it also hurts his team. However you choose to look at this, it is clearly a vote of confidence from the front office, as he was slated to become a restricted free agent after next season. Let's just hold our breaths that Lucic can become more of the player we know he can be if and when the NHL returns.
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