After the biggest of the final bit of roster cuts was announced on Sunday afternoon, there are still a number of questions remaining. A couple of defensemen are battling for the right side of the third-pairing spot, as well as the seventh defenseman, and there are three goaltenders on the roster.
Bigger than those things mentioned above, there is a veteran player who is on a Professional Tryout, who could have made an everlasting impact to make it onto the team.
Should the St. Louis Blues pay Milan Lucic, and keep him after his PTO has ended?
Keeping the vet?
It is obvious that the 37-year-old Lucic does not have the same pep in his step as he did a decade ago. That menacing force that terrorized whoever Boston played is not the same player that the Blues had at training camp.
Plus, after being away from the game for so long, it is unbelievable that he was able to muster as much as he did in the short amount of time of his PTO. Can the Blues find room for him on the fourth line?
With the extension to Nathan Walker, impressive play from Alexey Toropchenko, and newly acquired centerman Nick Bjugstad, it can be hard to fit Lucic into the lineup. Plus, you are not going to send a player who is at the twilight of his career down to Springfield.
It might be over for him in St. Louis. And after what was shown on the ice during the preseason, the Blues might be better off.
If it is over, what a run it was
Regardless, Lucic came back to the game after all of his off-the-ice issues and put on a respectable showing. He looked the part of a 37-year-old enforcer, whose sole goal was to rattle the cage of the other team.
The only hope is that if he is not picked up on his PTO, whatever wisdom he had of being a rough-and-tough forward was instilled in whoever will make up the fourth line for the 2025-26 season.