Confirmed Trade: [CGY/EDM] James Neal for Milan Lucic (12.5% retained) and a 2020 conditional 3rd round pick Part 2

[Pointteen]

The third is pretty irrelevant anyway. Neal isn't getting 21 goals

I agree that 21 goals is not a lock.
I know Neal SUCKED last year.

But I can also see him scoring 21 if he stays on the first powerplay unit. The spot is his to lose.

 

[Soundwave]

and all star James Neal LMAO

Has less to do with Neal/Kassian/Maroon/Chiasson ... more to do with McDavid.

Maroon for example was on pace for a 6 goal season (lol) when the Ducks dumped him to the Oilers, immediately scored 8 goals in 16 games with the Oilers, then 27 goals the following full season.

 

[Snakepit]

I agree that 21 goals is not a lock.
I know Neal SUCKED last year.

But I can also see him scoring 21 if he stays on the first powerplay unit. The spot is his to lose.

Not impossible but it would take a legendary comeback. He's behind Chaisson and Kassian on the depth chart

 

[Cup or Bust]

Nah they dont really need to buy out Lucic. The Oilers are helping to pay the bill

If the Flames were smart they would have wanted much more payment then that to take on such a terrible contract they will be stuck with, and an ineffective player as well. Calgary should have just bought out Neal.

 

[Soundwave]

Not impossible but it would take a legendary comeback. He's behind Chaisson and Kassian on the depth chart

Not a chance. Holland already said he will get to play in the top six and his centers with either be McDavid or Drai/Nuge and he also said he will get top PP time.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Not impossible but it would take a legendary comeback. He's behind Chaisson and Kassian on the depth chart

No, no he's really not.

 

[Snakepit]

No, no he's really not.

He really is. He's not an upgrade on Lucic at all as far as puck handling skills

 

[oobga]

Flames gain 500k in cap space per year and 9MM in real dollars over the 4 years.

If Lucic is willing to waive his NMC at the expansion draft (I dont see why he wouldnt), I don't see how this is a bad deal for either team unless Neal or Lucic rejuvenate somehow.

Is there a new thing where players just give up their NMC's to be nice? I doubt Lucic will want to uproot to play on an expansion team. He just said today he wants to be a passenger on a winning team. He will enjoy the benefits and certainty his contract provides.

 

[Cup or Bust]

He really is. He's not an upgrade on Lucic at all as far as puck handling skills

You will change your mind quick on that one. This was a terrible trade for Calgary any way you look at it. Only a biased Flames fan would think trading for Lucic was better then buying Neal out. Just a horrendous trade.

 

[Soundwave]

If the Flames were smart they would have wanted much more payment then that to take on such a terrible contract they will be stuck with, and an ineffective player as well. Calgary should have just bought out Neal.

Holland implied in his interview that he worked on the Flames for a while to make them "feel comfortable" with it. He is a much better people person than Chiarelli.

There's no chance Chiarelli could've sold a deal like this.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Holland implied in his interview that he worked on the Flames for a while to make them "feel comfortable" with it. He is a much better people person than Chiarelli.

There's no chance Chiarelli could've sold a deal like this.

He must have worked them good to make them agree to the trade because I certainly couldn't believe the Flames did it.

 

[McRpro]

The third is pretty irrelevant anyway. Neal isn't getting 21 goals

It's hard to believe a guy who was a consistent 20+ goal scorer for a decade could fall off the face of the earth in 1 season. It will be interesting to see how he does when not relegated to bottom 6 duty. I'd bet on him regaining form and if he can build chemistry with McDavid.........giggity.

And if he doesn't then we basically have Lucic V2.0 with a much more manageable contract. What a great trade!

 

[Snakepit]

You will change your mind quick on that one. This was a terrible trade for Calgary any way you look at it. Only a blind Flames fan would think trading for Lucic was better then buying Neal out. Just a horrendous trade.

Um... Okay? I never said otherwise so what's your point?

 

[Soundwave]

He must have worked them good to make them agree to the trade because I certainly couldn't believe the Flames did it.

Part of being a good GM is just that -- getting other GMs to agree to things that maybe the initially say no to.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Part of being a good GM is just that -- getting other GMs to agree to things that maybe the initially say no to.

If that was the best option I could find for Neal, I buy him out. Definitely no way Chiarelli could have pulled off a deal like that.

 

[Soundwave]

If that was the best option I could find for Neal, I buy him out. Definitely no way Chiarelli could have pulled off a deal like that.

You can sell it as well you guys had a good season, do you really want a locker room headache with your coach, you need toughness, it's less actual money owing on the Lucic deal so your owners will be happy, etc. etc.

Holland probably had to sell the shit outta this though, but that's what you got to do. Part of the job is being a used car salesman.

 

[Snakepit]

If that was the best option I could find for Neal, I buy him out. Definitely no way Chiarelli could have pulled off a deal like that.

I'm not so sure. 3 mil in dead cap space for 8 years isn't an easy sell either

 

[Pointteen]

Nah they dont really need to buy out Lucic. The Oilers are helping to pay the bill

Barely. Lucic can't keep up. His speed doesn't quite cost you games because you only put him out in the last 5 minutes of a game maybe 4 games a year. Otherwise he just doesn't look effective enough.

Unfortunately, some coaches have overused him there.

Remember how laughable Looch has been burned in 3on3? He doesn't play there either.

He certainly doesn't kill penalties.

His fighting is rarer. He'll win the few a year he participates in though.

James Neal doesn't fit any of those slots either, but he can shoot the damn puck.

I have been so frustrated with the Oilers for not ever properly acquiring a sniper. I still don't feel like we have who I have been hoping for but we're damn better off with the one thing Neal brings than Lucic's limited but more broad usefulness.

 

[Cup or Bust]

Um... Okay? I never said otherwise so what's your point?

The Point is, the Oilers getting Neal is irrelevant, anything he does is pure bonus. Offloading Lucic is all that matters. If the Oilers could have bought out Lucic with good terms they would have, instead they can buy out Neal if they want. Unfortunately for the Flames they have acquired a forward with extremely diminished skills that is almost impossible to move. I am not sure why they would do that.

 

[CraigsList]

It's weird that it happened in less than a week. He was tied for 16th amongst LWers in scoring at Christmas and a few days later looked like an AHL player.

Best wishes to the guy, he was a big help getting the team to the playoffs in 2017. Maybe the trade will help him out.

I think the trade will benefit both teams. Neal will get the ice time he wants and I firmly believe that he and Smith are going to bring Edmonton back up to playoff hockey as soon as this season (in a WC spot). I hate Edmonton but you can’t deny the veteran presence Neal and Smith were for Calgary.

 

[Pointteen]

Not impossible but it would take a legendary comeback. He's behind Chaisson and Kassian on the depth chart

No way is he behind both of them for first powerplay. I suspect 3/4 of Oilers fans want him up there without even seeing him at training camp. His reputation and stats (assuming last year was wrong) impress us.
That's how much his shot means to us.
That's how bad our depth is.

Want a good chuckle? Go look at the Oilers Statistics for the 2019 season.
Spoiler alert:
Our fifth highest scorer was Kassian. At 15. At 6 is Nurse with 10. Next is Caggiula at 7. Even if he scores 6 again he's tied with Lucic and Kyle f***ing Brodziak for 8/9.

We're putrid.

 

[Snakepit]

The Point is, the Oilers getting Neal is irrelevant, anything he does is pure bonus. Offloading Lucic is all that matters. If the Oilers could have bought out Lucic with good terms they would have, instead they can buy out Neal instead if they want. Unfortunately for the Flames they have acquired a forward with extremely diminished skills that is almost impossible to move. I am not sure why they would do that.

So you agree with me? I've already said all day that getting rid of the Lucic contract is a big win for Edmonton. I've just also said that people acting like adding Neal is some sort of victory or improvement need to seriously temper their expectations

 

[Hatrix]

Oh man, the shames fans desperately attempting damage control in the wake this trade are special.

Edmonton dropping that NMC and signing bonus laden buyout proof contract alone makes this a win for them. Even if Neal shits the bed again next season which all signs point to his time in calgary being an anomaly, it's still a very one sided deal.

Regarding Lucic's toughness, he's shown every time he plays teams that he was previously on that his past relationships are more important and won't engage. Every time Boston or LA started to run the Oilers show a bit he was nowhere to be found. Calgary doesn't even have the edge in a microscopic sense regarding the "battle of alberta" on this one.

Looks like "tired old man" Holland isn't as terrible as half of HF made him out to be only 2 months into his tenure with the franchise after all.

 

[Soundwave]

The Point is, the Oilers getting Neal is irrelevant, anything he does is pure bonus. Offloading Lucic is all that matters. If the Oilers could have bought out Lucic with good terms they would have, instead they can buy out Neal instead if they want. Unfortunately for the Flames they have acquired a forward with extremely diminished skills that is almost impossible to move. I am not sure why they would do that.

It's very hard fo a GM to make the call to their ownership and tell them that they're buying out a contract I think. Especially 1 year in.

That said personally I think the Flames probably should've just keep Neal, he was starting to score at a 0.5 ppg clip in the 2nd half of the year which is decent enough for a 3rd liner.

They basically bit on Lucic's contract because the dude had a poor 1st half of a season in a new situation.

 

[Ementy]

You move Drai off Connor's line and you don't end up with two lines with 100 pt players. Drai doesn't hit that ever without Connor

Drai performs just as much with mcdavid as without this is an uninformed statement.