The Edmonton Oilers just got a lot harder to play against.
General manager Peter Chiarelli landed the biggest name on the NHL’s free agent market Friday, signing bruising power forward Milan Lucic to a seven-year, $42 million contract.
Lucic, 28, is a menacing addition who can also play on the top line. He’s 6-4, 233 pounds and put up 55 points playing with Anze Kopitar on the LA Kings last year.
He brings power and emotion to a team that needs both, but the length of the contract has some people concerned. Power forwards tend to drop off sharply in their early 30s and many expect that Lucic and his contract won’t be nearly as palatable in years 5, 6 and 7.