"Blues just keeping his wife safe" "Don't want him": NHL fans react as Milan Lucic joins Springfield Thunderbirds on PTO

NHL fans are reacting to the St. Louis Blues giving Milan Lucic a professional tryout (PTO). The Blues announced that the 37-year-old forward will join their AHL team, the Springfield Thunderbirds, on a professional tryout deal.

Lucic first joined the Blues on a PTO before the 2025 training camp. He played four preseason games before suffering a lower-body injury. He has played 1,177 NHL games and was part of the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup-winning team.

He last played in the NHL back in 2023, with the Boston Bruins, and that year, Lucic was arrested following a domestic incident with charges of assault and battery. The charges were dropped after his wife declined to testify in court.

Following that incident, Lucic entered the NHL’s Player Assistance Program. After its completion, the NHL reinstated him. He became eligible to sign with interested teams, and the Blues have considered him so far.

After the Blues announced the news on Tuesday morning, Many fans shared their mixed feelings about the decision.

"Blues are just keeping his wife safe at this point." One fan said. "We don't want him here," Another fan wrote. “Why is he still being given an opportunity?” a fan questioned.

Here are some more reactions to Lucic's PTO from fans on X:

"He’s not going to take dvorskys spot so sucks for him he not making it here and neighbours also won’t be taking dvos spot," a fan wrote."This man should never play hockey again," one fan mentioned. "Let’s go Milan. Would love to have him on the club. #Stlblues," another fan reacted.

The move has raised questions about the Blues decision to sign the veteran player.

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Edited by Ankit Kumar