Kings lose Milan Lucic, who signs 7-year, $42M deal with Edmonton

Left wing Milan Lucic’s one-season stint with the Kings officially ended Friday, only minutes after the NHL’s free-agency signing period began. Lucic signed with a seven-year, $42-million contract with the Edmonton Oilers as an unrestricted free agent.

In the end, and as expected, the deal was too rich and too long for the Kings, who have salary-cap issues. The Kings reportedly made a final run at re-signing Lucic, placing defenseman Matt Greene on buyout waivers Thursday in order to clear more cap space.

Lucic scored 20 goals and 55 points last season for the Kings, who acquired him last summer from the Boston Bruins in exchange for backup goaltender Martin Jones, prospect Colin Miller and a first-round pick in the just-completed draft.

The 28-year-old Lucic is the second free agent to depart for Edmonton after the Kings used a first-round pick to complete a trade in as many seasons, joining defenseman Andrej Sekera. The Oilers signed Sekera to a six-season, $33-million contract last year.

Lucic will be reunited in Edmonton with general manager Peter Chiarelli. The pair were in Boston together when the Bruins won the 2011 Stanley Cup championship, and Lucic will be a key figure in the Oilers’ attempts to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

The Kings, Oilers, Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks were among the teams courting Lucic, who will get a chance to play alongside Coor McDavid in a new downtown arena in Edmonton. He tued down a chance to play in Vancouver, his hometown, but only an hour flight from Edmonton.

“It basically came down to the McDavid factor,” Lucic said during an interview on the NHL Network. “From what I saw just from one season, just as an 18-year-old, was something special. I think with him you can see light at the end of the tuel.

“With a special player like that, it’s inevitable that he’s going to do something great. That was something I wanted to be a part of it and it’s something that helped my decision. Being with Peter in Boston and what he was able to do … and my loyalty to him made the ultimate decision.

“I’m just excited to get going and see what we can do moving forward.”

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