BUFFALO – Before they hired former NHL winger Milan Lucic as a pro scout, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said the Sabres did their “due diligence” on his arrest in 2023 on suspicion of assault and battery on a family member.
Prosecutors later dropped a domestic violence charge.
“We take all those things very seriously, but we have also seen and heard that he’s done a lot of personal growth,” Kekalainen said Wednesday in LECOM Harborcenter.
Kekalainen said he’s “a big believer in second chances.” The Sabres announced Lucic’s hire Tuesday.
Lucic, 38, recently retired from playing after spending last season with the Fife Devils, an Elite Ice Hockey League team based in Scotland.
He played 1,117 NHL games over 17 seasons, mostly with the Boston Bruins. He last played in the big leagues early in 2023-24. He took an indefinite leave of absence that season after his arrest.
“The one thing that I’ve always wanted to have on the pro scouting staff is a player that’s close to his playing career because he’s still connected to the locker rooms and players he played against and played with,” Kekalainen said.” I think that adds an insight that the scouts that have been off the ice for a long time or they didn’t play in the NHL, they don’t have it.
“He’s very eager to work and get on this side of the business and I think he’s going to be a good addition to our group.”