Milan Lucic is headed to the AHL, but the Blues have plans for him to be on the NHL roster. Melissa Tamez / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Milan Lucic has signed another professional tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues and will be headed to the American Hockey League, the team announced Tuesday.

The NHL veteran signed a PTO with the Blues in the summer, but was sidelined after suffering a groin injury in the preseason. He's been rehabbing in St. Louis and recently started skating on his own.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong had said all along that once Lucic was healthy again, the team would reconnect with him on a contract.

There doesn't appear to be a timeline on how long the 37-year-old forward will spend with the team's AHL affiliate, the Springfield (Mass.) Thunderbirds.

Lucic (6 feet 3, 240 pounds) played in four preseason games with the Blues, posting a goal and an assist.

It's obvious the Blues have plans for Lucic to be on the NHL roster, adding a veteran, physical player to the lineup.

Lucic was hampered by the injury in training camp, so he wasn't able to show what, if anything, he has to offer at this point in his career.

However, the Blues are banking on Lucic providing the team with more experience on the fourth line and a player who can take some of the load off Tyler Tucker in terms of dropping the gloves.

The Blues currently have 14 forwards on the roster, so if everyone is healthy when Lucic is ready to return from Springfield, they'll have to trim one player. He's played seven games this season and has one assist.