The popular Bruins winger is starting the first year of a three-year, $12.25 million deal he signed last October. With that hefty $4.08 million cap hit comes some pretty high expectations, but Lucic doesn’t mind. He expects a lot out of himself as well.
For one thing, he expects to finally reach the 20-goal plateau this season.
“I feel like I have the ability to contribute to this team a little bit more,” said Lucic after Tuesday’s morning camp session at the TD Garden. “In my three years I haven’t been able to hit the 20-goal mark and I feel like that’s a realistic goal for me this year and that’s a personal goal that I think I should be able to meet.”
Lucic had just nine goals in 50 games last year as he battled hand and ankle injuries most of the season. He did manage 17 goals the previous year, and has excelled in playoffs with 10-10-20 totals in 30 career postseason games. That includes 5-4-9 totals in 13 games last spring.
But Lucic also knows that he’s not drawing that big paycheck this year just to score goals. He needs to continue to provide a physical presence up front for the Bruins, using his 6-foot-3, 235-pound frame to wreak havoc on the forecheck. That hard-hitting style, in turn, will help lead to more offensive chances.
“At the same time, I shouldn’t just be thinking that way,” said Lucic. “If I start thinking ‘goal, goal, goal’ and just getting points, that’s when my play starts to suffer. I think if I’m just moving my feet and playing physical, everything else tends to fall into place.”
The Bruins certainly hope everything comes together this year for Lucic, who already has three NHL seasons under his belt at just 22-years-old.
“I think going into my fourth year, what I really want to do is try to be the best player on the ice on a more consistent level,” said Lucic. “I think that’s the challenge for myself and that’s what I’m going to be looking forward to doing this year.”
