The Buffalo Sabres hire former NHL forward Milan Lucic as a pro scout, the team announces. The move is part of a broader set of hockey operations changes that include additional hires and promotions. Lucic, 38, recently announces his retirement after a 17-year NHL career and now joins the Sabres in a scouting role focused on professional talent. He comes to Buffalo following his most prominent years with the Boston Bruins, where he played for the first eight seasons of his career and won a Stanley Cup in 2011. The Athletic notes that Lucic’s NHL history includes a moment that made him unpopular with some Sabres fans, after a hit on Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller in 2011. While reactions from fans have varied, all reporting frames the appointment as a post-retirement shift into Sabres hockey operations. The Sabres do not describe, in the provided accounts, the specific scope of Lucic’s scouting responsibilities beyond the pro scout title.