Lucic joined the St. Louis Blues, while Smith is headed to the Columbus Blue Jackets. After Jack Johnson signed a PTO with the Minnesota Wild on Aug. 11, this could be the start of more NHL free agents taking a tryout to convince teams they deserve a contract this fall.

Lucic was a member of the Boston Bruins ' 2011 Stanley Cup championship team who also played for the Kings, Oilers and Flames before returning to the Bruins in 2023. He had two assists in four games that year before he took a puck off his ankle and went on long-term injured reserve.

The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Milan Lucic to a professional tryout, the club announced Tuesday. Lucic last played in the NHL in 2024 with the Boston Bruins, the team with which he spent the first eight seasons of his 17-year career.