The St. Louis Blues will not be where Milan Lucic resumes his NHL career, if he does at all.
The team announced Tuesday that Lucic has been released from his professional tryout with their AHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds.
The 37-year-old was initially signed by the Blues to a PTO in August ahead of training camp. He appeared in four pre-season games, recording one goal and one assist before being sidelined with a lower-body injury.
After his recovery, Lucic signed another PTO with the Thunderbirds at the beginning of November. He posted one assist in five games for the club.
Per Blues reporter and host Andy Strickland, Lucic has now returned to his hometown of Vancouver and is trying to determine his next steps.
Lucic last played in the NHL during the 2023-2024 season, appearing in four games for the Boston Bruins. At that time, Lucic took an indefinite leave of absence from the Bruins and later entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program. The Blues said in the summer that he had completed the program and been reinstated by the NHL.
Prosecutors dropped a domestic violence charge against Lucic in February 2024 after he was arrested in November 2023 on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member.
Lucic has 233 goals and 353 assists for 586 points in 1,177 career games with the Bruins, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.