Milan Lucic was released from a professional trial by the Blues’ AHL affiliate

The St. Louis Blues won’t be where Milan Lusk resumes his NHL career, if he does at all.

The team announced Tuesday that Lukacs has been released to pursue his professional endeavors with their NHL affiliate, the Springfield Thunders.

The 37-year-old was initially signed by the Blues to PTO before training camp in August. He appeared in four pre-season games, recording a goal and an assist before retiring with a lower-body injury.

After his recovery, Lukac signed another PTO with the Thunderbirds in early November. He posted one assist in five games for the club.

Per blues reporter and host Andy Strickland, Lusk has now returned to his hometown of Vancouver and is trying to determine his next steps.

Lusk last played in the NHL during the 2023–2024 season, appearing in four games for the Boston Bruins. At that time, Lukac took an indefinite leave of absence from the Bruins and subsequently entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistant Program. The Blues said in the summer that he completed the program and was reinstated by the NHL.

Prosecutors dropped domestic violence charges against Lukacs in February 2024 after he was arrested in November 2023 on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member.

Lukac has 233 goals and 353 assists for 586 points in 1,177 career games with the Bruins, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.