James van Riemsdyk vs James Neal

Snippit

Registered User
Dec 5, 2012
16,584
9,910
JvR still looking for his first win after losses to Trocheck, Galchenyuk, Tkachuk, Johnson and Spezza.

Who's better for the 17-18 season?

Rank|
Team​
|
Forward​
|
Won​
|Lost

79|:rangers|Chris Kreider|None|Palat 48% Krejci 28% Aho 42% Johnson 49% Spezza 47%
80|:habs|Alex Galchenyuk|Stepan 57% Trocheck 59% van Riemsdyk 52%|None
81|:panthers|Vincent Trocheck|Neal 60% Tkachuk 58% Stepan 62% van Riemsdyk 51%|Galchenyuk 41%
82|:flames|Matthew Tkachuk|Toffoli 58% Neal 60% van Riemsdyk 76%|Trocheck 42%
83|:leafs|James van Riemsdyk|Trocheck 53%|Johnson 25% Spezza 33% Galchenyuk 48% Trocheck 49% Tkachuk 24%
84|:vegas|James Neal|Stepan 52%|Trocheck 40% Tkachuk 40%
85|:coyotes|Derek Stepan|None|Trocheck 38% Galchenyuk 43% Neal 48%
86|:sabres|Sam Reinhart|Guentzel 70% Sedin 55% Okposo 55% Toffoli 61%|None
87|:kings|Tyler Toffoli|Okposo 66%|Tkachuk 42% Reinhart 39%
88|:sabres|Kyle Okposo|Guentzel 66%|Toffoli 34% Reinhart 45%
89|:pens|Jake Guentzel|Sedin 63%|Reinhart 30% Okposo 34%
90|:ducks|Jakob Silfverberg|Palmieri 52%|None







 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
I'll take van Riemsdyk here.

Neal is basically the same player but a little more physical and better defensively without being as productive offensively. A lot of the criticisms that are made toward JVR can be applied to his ass as well.

Since leaving PIT, Neal's point totals have been 37, 41 and 58.

Last season, he had 41 points in 70 games and was -10. Van Riemsdyk had 62 points and was -2.

Going forward, Neal will be playing for an expansion team while he looks to be in decline. Van Riemsdyk will be more sheltered and is coming off a career season.


There is no real argument for Neal over JVR at this point.
 

Sensinitis

Registered User
Aug 5, 2012
15,934
5,526
I'll take van Riemsdyk here.

Neal is basically the same player but a little more physical and better defensively without being as productive offensively. A lot of the criticisms that are made toward JVR can be applied to his ass as well.

Since leaving PIT, Neal's point totals have been 37, 41 and 58.

Last season, he had 41 points in 70 games and was -10. Van Riemsdyk had 62 points and was -2.

Going forward, Neal will be playing for an expansion team while he looks to be in decline. Van Riemsdyk will be more sheltered and is coming off a career season.

There is no real argument for Neal over JVR at this point.

Aren't you confusing ''better'' with ''more productive''?
 

Sensinitis

Registered User
Aug 5, 2012
15,934
5,526
Do you really think Neal was better last season or that he will be this season?

Did you watch him in the playoffs? He didn't look good at all.

Oh I wasnt prepping an argument for Neal.

I was only responding to your mention of their team contexts, which I at first interpreted as a means to suggest that JVR will "look better", score more points, because he is in a better situation, which doesnt seem to answer who will be the better player but rather who will be more productive (which shouldnt be understood as in correlation).

However I now realize that you may have meant that JVR is in a role where he can succeed and be a good player, while Neal is not (+ declining), therefore JVR will be the better, more useful player next season. Which I definitely would agree with.
 

Sensinitis

Registered User
Aug 5, 2012
15,934
5,526
Didn't he have a broken hand in the playoffs this season?

He struggled with injuries all season.

Nevertheless, he proved to wise observers of the game what they ought to think of his highly productive seasons in Pittsburgh. A very inconsistent player nowadays, i would say. A surefire bet for 20 goals and 45 points. Potential for 25 and 50 but who knows with this guy.
 

The Nuge

Some say…
Jan 26, 2011
27,330
7,241
British Columbia
JVR will likely put up more points than Neal, but he's still a soft floater. There's a good chance Neal scores more goals and will be better everywhere else. Went with Neal
 

Filthy Dangles

Registered User*
Oct 23, 2014
28,353
39,702
Like the poster above said, JvR might be more tangible but Neal is the better player overall for me.
 

GlitchMarner

Typical malevolent, devious & vile Maple Leafs fan
Jul 21, 2017
9,712
6,432
Brampton, ON
Neal's SAT% was 52.20% while JVR's was 51.57%.

Neal isn't Toews or Lindros. He's a sniper who's been scoring at a similar rate as van Riemsdyk while being outscored in terms of points by a considerable margin.

I'd rather have van Riemsdyk's superior offense than Neal's "intangibles."
 
Last edited:

firstemperor

Registered User
May 25, 2011
8,755
1,445
JVR will likely put up more points than Neal, but he's still a soft floater. There's a good chance Neal scores more goals and will be better everywhere else. Went with Neal

I think the irony with your statement is that they are both floaters. Neal is a bit more physical (and can be prone to more bone-headed minors) but is also more of a perimeter player.

I think the main difference between Neal and JVR is JVR plays on a line with Bozak- who fails to fulfill his defensive responsibilities relatively speaking- as compared to Neal and the defensive core/system that backed him last year.

At the end of the day, JVR's net presence and soft-hands/finishing in front of the net is a more sustainable, safe slate of production than Neal....and has way more longevity, IMO. Ultimately, they both have to be sheltered to some degree defensively but many offensive-minded wingers do so let's not pick at straws.
 

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