Player Discussion James “The Real Deal” Neal a Flame! 5 years, 28.75 million.

[Iggys Dome]

I agree, I think the stick change is affecting him more than we think. He doesn't look bad out there, he's slow but that was expected. He's getting solid scoring chances that I hope he usually puts away, but for whatever reason they're going not going in. I hope that changes and he pots some by January. His line has looked really good the past few games.

 

[Sparky93]

It’s the stick. He’s hating chances all over the place but whiffs on basically everyone. He will get used to it eventually. I think.

Well, if that’s the case, we better load him up and drop him off at the stick doctor quick.....take Bennett with him.

 

[Mr Snrub]

The other thing that concerns me about Neal is he isn't getting helpers, either. I can't say he's a black hole of offense because he is shooting the puck, but he's not creating it at all. I can say however that he's very good at moving the puck and protecting it in the offensive zone and I hope Jankowski learns something from watching his game in past the hash marks.

 

[JPeeper]

I just don't understand how a stick can affect someone's play so much. Can't he like get someone to make him custom sticks that were his old sticks specs? Surely someone can make it the same weight and put the same style of blade on it. For $5.75 mil a year he could surely afford to buy custom sticks from someone.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

I just don't understand how a stick can affect someone's play so much. Can't he like get someone to make him custom sticks that were his old sticks specs? Surely someone can make it the same weight and put the same style of blade on it. For $5.75 mil a year he could surely afford to buy custom sticks from someone.

Think about the muscle memory, he’s been using the same stick for 15+ years. It basically becomes and extension of his body.

He could take a year to learn the difference. Because the guy is known as an elite finisher and that’s the skill he’s been by far the worst at.

Is it a coincidence that this happened when he ran out of old sticks. I don’t think so

 

[Rangediddy]

I don't buy it's the stick. He doesn't look like a good hockey player out there. His skating is awful and he's just not putting himself in positions to score. He's getting shots but they are god awful shots that are zero threat to go in.

Any thoughts he might be injured? If so, I say give him the rest of the year off and play him in January. Work out, get his mind right and come back with a better attitude, hopefully healthy and get going.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

I don't buy it's the stick. He doesn't look like a good hockey player out there. His skating is awful and he's just not putting himself in positions to score. He's getting shots but they are god awful shots that are zero threat to go in.

Any thoughts he might be injured? If so, I say give him the rest of the year off and play him in January. Work out, get his mind right and come back with a better attitude, hopefully healthy and get going.

I'd heavily argue that he's only getting gawd awful shots. That's hyperbole. He had a breakaway in the last few games even. He's had quite a few at minimum mid danger chances that I've seen as well.

 

[The Gnome]

He can't skate with the rest of our team, it's a problem. At least he's better than Brouwer.

 

[crazyfisherman]

I dont get why hes used as the net front guy on the 2nd pp, he should be the trigger man there

 

[DFF]

He was looking decent until the Oilers game when he looks like shit

Some time I wonder if BT watch these guys at all before he signed them to big overpaid contract

 

[Fig]

I mused with some friends whether Neal could theoretically try and find more Makos and then put a crappy looking Bauer skin on top... I presume he'd be fined and all sorts of other nasty things.

But I agree that the stick is affecting him more than we realize. Anyone who even bothered looking at historical clips of Neal and compared it to this season would realize that there's no power nor accuracy on his shot. I do appreciate the fact he's loose and laughing out there (without being a liability) even though he's snake bitten.

The dude has probably shot hundreds of thousands of times with the Mako. A summer at shots (which is a crap ton of shots) is at best 1/40th ish of the shots he's taken with the Mako? You shoot 10 years worth of off seasons at 2 ish months, plus NHL seasons which are like 4x longer or something than the off season itself... that's a hell of a relearning necessary based 0n habit, timing and muscle memory if the stick doesn't react the same way. He's not going to get it right away, but I think he'll figure it out.. Furthermore, there's a difference between taking a shot with it in practice and getting used to getting that shot up to NHL speed and calibre. Many times we've heard comments about how the NHL pace is different than training pace or even AHL pace and it takes time to get used to. IMO, similar thing with the shot. But it's also perhaps not just the shot. Having confidence in your weapon will affect the play as well.

But I've raved enough about the stick to the point that I bet it's a boring excuse to many. IMO, I just think that Neal has earned the right to be given up to the TDL to sort things out. He's at least earned that IMO based on his play (not being a liability). We also don't need him to get hot right now. It'll be great if he heats up to carry the team when our usual suspects hit a cold streak. Those that want Neal to perform now, I get it. But me personally, if Neal flubbing shots but isn't a liability is our biggest problem (note that I think he's a 4 leaf clover), we're doing ok this season.

 

[Mr Snrub]

But I've raved enough about the stick to the point that I bet it's a boring excuse to many. IMO, I just think that Neal has earned the right to be given up to the TDL to sort things out. He's at least earned that IMO based on his play (not being a liability). We also don't need him to get hot right now. It'll be great if he heats up to carry the team when our usual suspects hit a cold streak. Those that want Neal to perform now, I get it. But me personally, if Neal flubbing shots but isn't a liability is our biggest problem (note that I think he's a 4 leaf clover), we're doing ok this season.

I wouldn't say the fact that he's flubbing shots is our biggest problem, it's that we're paying almost $6mil for a guy to flub shots. That could have real repercussions on our ability to negotiate with Tkachuk and to sign another goaltender.

 

[The Gnome]

I wouldn't say the fact that he's flubbing shots is our biggest problem, it's that we're paying almost $6mil for a guy to flub shots. That could have real repercussions on our ability to negotiate with Tkachuk and to sign another goaltender.

At this point, I just want him gone if he doesn't pickup by TDL. Not that he'll be worth anything, nobody will be taking that on. This situation sucks. He doesn't have the legs to play with our group.

 

[Mr Snrub]

At this point, I just want him gone if he doesn't pickup by TDL. Not that he'll be worth anything, nobody will be taking that on. This situation sucks. He doesn't have the legs to play with our group.

I'll admit that when we signed him I had a worry in the back of my head about whether he would fit here. You look at Vegas, a team where almost every player had a career year, and Neal was on pace for what, 48 points or something?

I'm fine with letting him ride this year out but I'm very concerned. Like I mentioned earlier I think the fact that he isn't getting assists either is a huge red flag. He looks worse than Jagr.

 

[The Gnome]

I'll admit that when we signed him I had a worry in the back of my head about whether he would fit here. You look at Vegas, a team where almost every player had a career year, and Neal was on pace for what, 48 points or something?

I'm fine with letting him ride this year out but I'm very concerned. Like I mentioned earlier I think the fact that he isn't getting assists either is a huge red flag. He looks worse than Jagr.

I really love what Treliving has done for this team, but his UFA signings have been brutal besides Frolik.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

This was always going to look bad eventually, but it definitely seems we aren't even going to get 20 goals from him the first few years even.

 

[Kranix]

He's "getting shots." All they need now is to get him a nice stick he likes and acquire Evgeni Malkin.

The one sequence on Sunday where Johnny is cycling by himself behind the net, trying to create something. Neal is covered, a statue in front waiting for an elite pass. He doesn't move. Play dies.

The play dies if Neal skates it across the blue line. He doesn't create anything off the rush.

He makes minimal effort in each zone.

He's not getting assists because he's either making a half-assed attempt to retrieve a puck, or he's losing it because he's not making a good decision fast enough.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

He's currently at a 4% shooting percentage, and his career average is 12%. That has to stabilize a little. He's also almost always been a streaky scorer, as seen last year in Vegas.

An odd one to nitpick Kranix in my opinion, as we have several players that do the exact same thing when Johnny has the puck. And sometimes he even does get that elite pass through.

 

[Kranix]

It just seemed like Johnny was circling back and forth with no seam, and in my opinion Neal could have moved his feet. But you're right, a bit of a nitpick, although I felt it was representative of his overall game to this point.

 

[InfinityIggy]

He's currently at a 4% shooting percentage, and his career average is 12%. That has to stabilize a little. He's also almost always been a streaky scorer, as seen last year in Vegas.

An odd one to nitpick Kranix in my opinion, as we have several players that do the exact same thing when Johnny has the puck. And sometimes he even does get that elite pass through.

Neal's lack of production is #unsustainable confirmed. He would have a very respectable 10 goals at this point if he was shooting his average.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Just looks like he doesn't give a shit. It's not even that he's not producing(although that is obviously a problem as well). Barely throws any hits, gives the puck away constantly, expects his linemates to do all the work for him, and doesn't establish any presence in the slot. The annoying thing is that unlike Brouwer you can see the talent is there, this is a good player that is not giving it his all, not even 3/4 of his all in my estimation.

Now he's also played a lot of hockey being in the Finals the last two years and on the wrong side of 30. He knows the real season doesn't start until the Spring. As long as he gets going by then and the Flames keep winning I couldn't really care less if he's all in or not. But at least compete like an NHLer, can't be good for the room watching a highly paid guy floating around like he's out for a Sunday skate night in night out. If he puts in another lackluster effort I'd bench him for a game or two. Still want to see a line of Gaudreau-Lindholm-Neal for more than a period, this is a guy who has proven he can compliment elite talent well and that may be enough to get him off the shnide.

 

[The Gnome]

Again...has nobody noticed he can't f***ing skate with this team??? That's a massive issue for us.

 

[joescores]

Can I just ask why it has taken you so long to realise that he is just an awfully overpaid disastrous signing?

 

[Anglesmith]

Can I just ask why it has taken you so long to realise that he is just an awfully overpaid disastrous signing?

In your short time here, you've already built a reputation of aggressively jumping to early conclusions. You were wrong on Smith, but you're still confident you're right on Neal.

We shall see.

Neal definitely looks different with us than he did with Vegas last year. I distinctly remember him scoring goals by beating guys. Either shaking them off along the wall or else just skating around the outside. While I do like that Neal generally wins battles and has good stick-work that often catches out the opposition, his legs aren't carrying him anywhere right now. That said, he's never been a hugely dynamic player; what he has been is a finisher. And if he starts converting his chances, he'll be as advertised and the chatter will fade away.

 

[joescores]

In your short time here, you've already built a reputation of aggressively jumping to early conclusions. You were wrong on Smith, but you're still confident you're right on Neal.

We shall see.

Neal definitely looks different with us than he did with Vegas last year. I distinctly remember him scoring goals by beating guys. Either shaking them off along the wall or else just skating around the outside. While I do like that Neal generally wins battles and has good stick-work that often catches out the opposition, his legs aren't carrying him anywhere right now. That said, he's never been a hugely dynamic player; what he has been is a finisher. And if he starts converting his chances, he'll be as advertised and the chatter will fade away.

Extremely confident are the words. Btw don't get too caried away by Smith- although I am happy for him. If you like Neal, his play, his contract satisfies you- I am happy for you too. He might get some good looks tonight