- Ducks acquire Cruz Lucius from the Penguins for future considerations
- Lucius told Pittsburgh in April he would not sign an entry-level deal
- Read below for the paperwork quirk that made this trade possible
Anaheim just picked up a prospect Pittsburgh was days away from losing for nothing.
The Ducks acquired forward Cruz Lucius from the Penguins on Wednesday afternoon in exchange for future considerations, both clubs announced.
Lucius was one of a handful of college players whose draft rights were set to expire on Aug. 15. He never actually got to free agency, because he never filed his NCAA departure paperwork with the NHL’s Central Registry. That filing is what starts the 30-day clock, and skipping it left the Penguins holding his rights past the deadline with something to sell.
We saw the exact same maneuver a few days ago when the Hurricanes bought Stiven Sardarian’s rights off Buffalo. Anaheim now holds Lucius indefinitely, and if he files in the coming days, the Ducks get 30 days to sign him.
Penguins GM Kyle Dubas was asked back in April why the two sides never got a deal done:
“(Lucius and his agent) informed us that he was not going to be signing in Pittsburgh for a few reasons that’s up to him to share. It’s a personal thing for him. We felt we had a great opportunity for him, and the proof is in the pudding on the development side, but players are entitled to make their decision, and I don’t think we’re at the position here anymore where we have to beg people to come,” Dubas said.
Whoever ends up signing him is getting a productive college scorer. Lucius put up 15 goals and 46 points in 36 games at Arizona State last season, the second-highest single-season total in program history, and made the NCHC First All-Star Team.
His 31 assists ranked seventh among every skater in the NCAA. He led the Sun Devils in goals, assists and points and was named the team MVP.
Take a look at the NCHC’s feature on him from last season:
Carolina originally drafted the 22-year-old 124th overall in 2022. He landed in Pittsburgh two years later as one of the pieces in the Jake Guentzel trade, alongside Ville Koivunen, Vasily Ponomarev, Michael Bunting and a pair of picks.
Wisconsin had him for his first two post-draft seasons before he transferred to ASU in 2024. Across four NCAA years he racked up 41 goals and 124 points in 125 games.
The Lawrence, Kansas native is the younger brother of Chaz Lucius, a Winnipeg first-rounder in 2021 who retired in 2024 for medical reasons.
Pat Verbeek has bigger items on his desk right now, with Cutter Gauthier still unsigned. But a 46-point NCAA senior for future considerations is about as cheap as a swing gets, and Lucius would likely open next season with the AHL’s San Diego Gulls if he puts pen to paper.
