thejazz97

Why would you say Milan Lucic isn't a great athlete? I would disagree. Not because I'm saying he's a great athlete, but he's never shown any reason to believe he's not. To be able to play in the NHL for 9 seasons, and be very effective for all except his rookie, he has to be a good athlete. Incredibly strong, maybe not that fast but still, a quality athlete. He tends to play through full seasons, without his body breaking down to wear and tear because of his size and muscle, (One reason why he's effective during the post season).

There really is no reason, other than a hunch, that he will have a dramatic decline before the age of 33, and by then he'll be 5 years into his contract. The only thing I could se is if his skating takes a major hit but I don't see that happening any time soon. If there was ever a safe gamble for us to take in the free market, this is it. It's not 100, but at 28? a powerforward like Lucic? With no real injury history? It doesn't get much better than that. He brings a skillset that few can match, and not everyone can defend. He can become unstoppable if matched up right, with the right partners. (Sutter and Virtanen if you ask me)

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other than a hunch

You think his back problems will play a factor?  

At the NHL level I don't think he's an elite athlete. Obviously he's a better athlete than us regular joes but by those standards I don't think he is. Nathan mackinnon, Crosby, etc are elite athletes. They're fleet of foot, Looch isn't. How's a slow skater going to do when he's older and likely going to lose more foot speed? That's my issue.