Report: Oilers want to trade Lucic, not simply to offload contract

There's been a lot of speculation about Milan Lucic's potential departure from Edmonton this summer.

However, despite initial rumors indicating Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli is willing to simply offload Lucic's hefty remaining contract at any cost, the latest rumblings point to Edmonton wanting to wait for a deal that better suits the organization, sources told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Lucic is under contract for the next five seasons at a pricey cap hit of $6 million per year. Combine that with his relatively dismal 2017-18 campaign in which he managed only 10 goals and 24 assists across 82 games, and the Oilers actively considering a move comes as little surprise.

Even with his poor recent performance and massive contract, Lucic's 6-foot-3 and 236-pound frame will still have general managers sniffing around to test the waters.

Edmonton inked Lucic to a whopping seven-year deal worth $42 million in July 2016. That contract came with a no-movement clause, which would need to be waived by Lucic to get any trade done.