Milan Lucic says he set the bar too high during his tenure with the Edmonton Oilers.
The veteran forward, who the Oilers traded - along with a conditional third-round pick - to the Calgary Flames for James Neal last month, explained that he has different expectations for himself joining his new club than he did when he signed with Edmonton in 2016.
"I think the main thing for me was just getting a fresh start," Lucic told Sportsnet 960 on Thursday. "Coming to a good team, a veteran team, a team that took a big step in the right direction last year ... for myself, it's just coming in and just helping. I'm not coming in looking to be some sort of savior or anything like that.
"I don't think it was like that going into Edmonton as well. But in Edmonton, I think I put a little bit too much pressure on myself to be this leader, power forward, goalscorer, all this type of stuff. I think I put too much on my plate, (it was) too much for me to handle.”
Lucic signed a seven-year, $42-million contract with the Oilers on July 1, 2016.
The 31-year-old played well in his first season with his old club. He notched 23 goals and 50 points while playing all 82 regular-season games, and then added six points in 13 playoff contests as the Oilers came within one win of the 2017 Western Conference Final.
However, his final two campaigns in Edmonton were far less memorable: He managed only 16 goals and 54 points across 161 combined regular-season games while the Oilers failed to reach the playoffs in both seasons.
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