“Like the ad (which he put in the Boston Globe yesterday) said, it was a big part of my life”, offered Lucic.
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Instead, the Kings acquired the Vancouver native last month by dealing away goalie Martin Jones, defenseman Colin Miller and the 13th-overall draft pick.
For Lucic and the Kings, it means bouncing back from a frustrating season.
“I’m a Gemini, so I’ve got that split personality where you get that short fuse”, Lucic said here Saturday. He said he hasn’t had any preliminary discussions about a contract extension with Kings general manager Dean Lombardi, who is trying to re-sign center Anze Kopitar. “I’m still young. I feel like I’m just getting into my prime years here, and from talking to the management here they have full confidence in myself and being the player I can be”.
Like the Bruins, the Kings have won at least one Stanley Cup in the recent past. “So it’s not like I’m coming to change the culture of the team”.
“I just want to get myself back to the player that I know I can be”.
Lucic is playing through the final year of his three-year, $18 million dollar contract.
Lucic understands that he’ll be singing for his supper this season.
Lucic said it will be easy to be invested in the two-time Stanley Cup champions (2012, 2014) despite his expiring contract. Gaborik will likely move to the right wing, and this top line has the potential to be one of the most unsafe in the National Hockey League.
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“The last couple years, they’ve been that heavy, strong, intimidating, rough and tough team, and my style of play fits in perfectly with who they already are”, Lucic said. It might not be until February 9 that that part of his career can truly be put in the past tense. “To be honest, that’s the reason I was able to get to this level, having that mean streak and physical game”. In the trade, the Kings agreed to take on $2.75 million of that deal. “It was a great eight years”. He scored 18 goals, but has had three seasons of 24 or more, including one 30-goal year. I have no regrets with everything that I got to experience over there and everything I did with that team.
