Confirmed Trade: [CGY/EDM] James Neal for Milan Lucic (12.5% retained) and a 2020 conditional 3rd round pick Part 4

[Big guns]

Neal scored more goals in less games


Neal's is movable because he can be traded to any team....unlike Lucic, he can be buried in the minors...unlike Lucic
and can be bought out...unlike Lucic

the contracts aren't even close, Lucic's is the worst in the league

So he bombs in edmonton but your going to trade him? The best he could get was lucic. But after a second bad stint someone else is going to take him?

Your reality in the next year or 2 is a buyout and the addition of more dead cap space for players not to play for you. This wasnt a great attitude guy who couldnt mesh he outright stank along with his attitude. He isnt young. He isnt fast. He doesn't have high iq or work ethic or drive ir speed. He had a great shot if he doesnt have that left he has nothing. Enjoy.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Neal scored 1 more goal and when you pro-rate for TOI and games played, it stays at 1 goal. You are welcome to check out the numbers posted in post 721.

I saw the post....pro-rating means nothing because it assumes the exact same shooting %
Neal had his worst shooting % of his career last year by over half
Lucic's shooting % went up, and he was still garbage

And yes, Neal can be be traded to any team, assuming someone wants him (which they clearly don't, hence him being traded fro Lucic) and yes he can be sent to the minors, but let's be honest, the odds of that are pretty damn slim.

exactly, there are options with Neal
there are no options with Lucic

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

So he bombs in edmonton but your going to trade him? The best he could get was lucic. But after a second bad stint someone else is going to take him?

Your reality in the next year or 2 is a buyout and the addition of more dead cap space for players not to play for you. This wasnt a great attitude guy who couldnt mesh he outright stank along with his attitude. He isnt young. He isnt fast. He doesn't have high iq or work ethic or drive ir speed. He had a great shot if he doesnt have that left he has nothing. Enjoy.

Neal's dead capspace on the buyout is better than Lucic's 6 million contract that can't be bought out
it's not that hard to figure out lol

 

[super6646]

Just as an interesting piece of info - lucic spent 40% of his ES time with one of Mcdavid, draisatl, or rnh.

Line Combinations - Frozen Tools

He also was a mainstain on the 2nd PP unit. Mustering up a meagre 1.09p/60 is pretty awful given his circumstances. I wouldn’t bank a lot on him magically becoming useful again offensively unless he magically swaps places with 2015 lucic.

 

[Lunatik]

I saw the post....pro-rating means nothing because it assumes the exact same shooting %
Neal had his worst shooting % of his career last year by over half
Lucic's shooting % went up, and he was still garbage


exactly, there are options with Neal
there are no options with Lucic

Neal's shooting percentage was a career low because his shot is gone, there was very little to it. Maybe he can become your new CHiasson or Strome though, that will show us

 

[Big guns]

Neal's dead capspace on the buyout is better than Lucic's 6 million contract that can't be bought out
it's not that hard to figure out lol

By gosh your right!!!! Big edmonton win. This is bigger than the preseason cup.

Does anyone else think that lucic biggest problem was being in edmonton and after watching management bumble through his entire tenure there that it maybe sucked his will to live neveŕmind play hockey for a franchise heading full speed into a wall. Neals gonna love it there.

 

[Deen]

I kind of see us using Lucic as a utility player. No way he is on the 2nd PP, maybe 2nd PK though.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

By gosh your right!!!! Big edmonton win. This is bigger than the preseason cup.

Does anyone else think that lucic biggest problem was being in edmonton and after watching management bumble through his entire tenure there that it maybe sucked his will to live neveŕmind play hockey for a franchise heading full speed into a wall. Neals gonna love it there.

didn't seem to hurt Maroon or Chiasson, both whom had career years here

but continue to take meaningless swipes at the Oilers, looks good on you

 

[Bank Shot]

I kind of see us using Lucic as a utility player. No way he is on the 2nd PP, maybe 2nd PK though.

Lucic can't PK. Too slow.

 

[Big guns]

didn't seem to hurt Maroon or Chiasson, both whom had career years here

but continue to take meaningless swipes at the Oilers, looks good on you

Why thank you. Edmonton is the gift that keeps giving. Id trade rosters today if i could.

 

[Deen]

Lucic can't PK. Too slow.

Well obviously, but you need a big body on the pk, then we can run a faster defenceman like Kylington to make up for his crunch.

 

[Rubi]

Neal's dead capspace on the buyout is better than Lucic's 6 million contract that can't be bought out
it's not that hard to figure out lol

Is that the hill you're determined to die on? No intelligent GM is going to saddle themselves with almost $2M in dead cap space for the next 6 years... particularly when they already have $4.5M tied up in dead cap space next year (add Lucic's almost $2M and the total now becomes almost $6.5M) and they only have 10 players under contract for a total of $53M. It does get better the following year (2021-22) with the Oilers having a dead cap space of $2.25M (add Lucic's $2M and that comes to $4.25M) but this is a team that is trying to rebuild and one of the major problems they are having is they don't have enough cap room to make any effective trades. Adding another $2M to the dead cap as a result of a player who no longer plays for them, won't help.

The Flames have no intention of buying out Lucic's contract even if he doesn't score a lot of goals because that's not what's expected of him. Any goals he scores with be gravy to the Flames. If the Oilers buy out Neal's contract because he's playing poorly, within the next couple of years, I'll be amazed. It wouldn't make sense and Holland isn't a stupid man.

 

[Bank Shot]

Is that the hill you're determined to die on? No intelligent GM is going to saddle themselves with almost $2M in dead cap space for the next 6 years... particularly when they already have $4.5M tied up in dead cap space next year (add Lucic's almost $2M and the total now becomes almost $6.5M) and they only have 10 players under contract for a total of $53M. It does get better the following year (2021-22) with the Oilers having a dead cap space of $2.25M (add Lucic's $2M and that comes to $4.25M) but this is a team that is trying to rebuild and one of the major problems they are having is they don't have enough cap room to make any effective trades. Adding another $2M to the dead cap as a result of a player who no longer plays for them, won't help.

The Flames have no intention of buying out Lucic's contract even if he doesn't score a lot of goals because that's not what's expected of him. Any goals he scores with be gravy to the Flames. If the Oilers buy out Neal's contract because he's playing poorly, within the next couple of years, I'll be amazed. It wouldn't make sense and Holland isn't a stupid man.

Oilers could buyout the Neal contract in his second last or final season however and give themselves some room to maneuver. The Flames can't do that with Lucic.

Any Flames fans trying to portray these two contracts as equally bad are not being honest with themselves.

 

[Rubi]

Oilers could buyout the Neal contract in his second last or final season however and give themselves some room to maneuver. The Flames can't do that with Lucic.

Any Flames fans trying to portray these two contracts as equally bad are not being honest with themselves.

No.. on the face of it both these contracts are not equally bad. But that view only comes into play if Neal's contract is bought out and the Oilers are willing to bite the bullet and accept all those years of dead cap space (a July 2020 buyout means 6 years of $2M dead cap, a July 2021 (the summer before his final 2 years) buyout means 4 years of $2M dead cap).

 

[Del Preston]

This is still going on?

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Neal's dead capspace on the buyout is better than Lucic's 6 million contract that can't be bought out
it's not that hard to figure out lol

Flames fans still somehow arguing that this was anything other than a huge L are in denial.

 

[McDavidCrushedLarkin]

Oh man getting rid of of that boat anchor Lucic and his NMC still brings a smile to my face. Didn't think that was possible!

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

Is that the hill you're determined to die on? No intelligent GM is going to saddle themselves with almost $2M in dead cap space for the next 6 years... particularly when they already have $4.5M tied up in dead cap space next year (add Lucic's almost $2M and the total now becomes almost $6.5M) and they only have 10 players under contract for a total of $53M. It does get better the following year (2021-22) with the Oilers having a dead cap space of $2.25M (add Lucic's $2M and that comes to $4.25M) but this is a team that is trying to rebuild and one of the major problems they are having is they don't have enough cap room to make any effective trades. Adding another $2M to the dead cap as a result of a player who no longer plays for them, won't help.

The Flames have no intention of buying out Lucic's contract even if he doesn't score a lot of goals because that's not what's expected of him. Any goals he scores with be gravy to the Flames. If the Oilers buy out Neal's contract because he's playing poorly, within the next couple of years, I'll be amazed. It wouldn't make sense and Holland isn't a stupid man.

you're making a lot of assumptions of GMs will and will not do
what isn't an assumption is that Lucic's contract is unmovable and buyout proof
Neal's has no restrictions

 

[Rubi]

I can't wait for the season to start so I can watch Oiler fans turn on James Neal faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck.
We all know its going to happen... its just a question of when.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Does anyone else think that lucic biggest problem was being in edmonton and after watching management bumble through his entire tenure there that it maybe sucked his will to live neveŕmind play hockey for a franchise heading full speed into a wall.

No, no one else thinks that

 

[Frank Drebin]

This is still going on?

Biggest trade of the offseason

 

[Rubi]

if only the Oilers could model the success of the Flames... I mean, they do have 6 whole playoff wins the last decade (Oilers have them beat at 7 lol)

Do you really want to go down the road on which team is the best model of success? Really??

 

[cpsman]

By gosh your right!!!! Big edmonton win. This is bigger than the preseason cup.

Does anyone else think that lucic biggest problem was being in edmonton and after watching management bumble through his entire tenure there that it maybe sucked his will to live neveŕmind play hockey for a franchise heading full speed into a wall. Neals gonna love it there.

really? you've lost all rational arguments so you are going to go to the lame "oh its the oilers organization they are losers they suck" argument? If you actually think that's why Lucic declined so badly the last couple years, then good luck

 

[cpsman]

Do you really want to go down the road on which team is the best model of success? Really??

Flames have been mediocre to good in the regular season but suck when it counts in the playoffs.
Oilers have sucked baaaadly the last decade in the regular season but actually did well when they made the playoffs. I know a lot of us thought they would have made it further had it not been for some questionable reffing calls etc...but that's an Edmonton bias of course.

Guess it depends what you think is more successful. Personally I think neither, but that's just me.

 

[cpsman]

I can't wait for the season to start so I can watch Oiler fans turn on James Neal faster than a fat kid chasing an ice cream truck.
We all know its going to happen... its just a question of when.

Well one of our fanbases is going to shutup real fast either way haha. Someone is probably going to show they are the winner of the trade in the first few months. Either that or both Lucic and Neal suck really bad and this bickering just dissolves slowly.