Contract clause could spell the end of Milan Lucic with Bruins

Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic was arrested over the weekend, and has since pleaded not guilty to assault and battery stemming from the incident that took place with his wife.

Newly disclosed information from the authorities reveals that Lucic was under the impression that his cell phone had gone missing. Allegedly, he suspected his wife of hiding it, leading to a heated confrontation during which Lucic, in his agitation, demanded to know the phone's location while attempting to choke her. 

For Lucic, who has since entered the NHLPA Players Assistance Program, he could have his contract terminated by the team for a violation of the moral clause in the deal. According to Joe Haggerty of Boston Hockey Now, the Bruins have the option of terminating the deal thanks to Lucic's actions and be completely free of his cap hit. 

He wrote the following: 

"The 'Morality Clause' of the Standard Player Contract (SPC) states that a team can terminate a deal with a player who breaches the contract with “conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club. Each player must ‘agree to conduct himself on and off the rink according to the highest standards of honesty, morality, fair play, and sportsmanship and to refrain from conduct detrimental to the best interest of the Club, the League, or professional hockey generally.’

As was the case when the Los Angeles Kings terminated the contract of Mike Richards after he was arrested at the border for illegal possession of prescription drugs in 2015, the Bruins can choose to terminate Lucic’s contract and be free of the $781,250 remaining carried. Currently, they are actually free from his cap hit as Lucic remains on long-term injury reserve and in the Player Assistance program, and it appears for now, they won’t take any action with his contract, but the option will remain should they change their mind."

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