James Neal Appreciation Thread

[guymez]

My guess is desperation after stanley cup loss, + Neals low scoring made some think he was done. + An uncomfortable high caphit on a player,maybe done, and didnt like it there. But Yes, Stupid. First GM to get fired? Low odds here on that one.

I think the reported disconnect between Peters and Neal was the biggest aspect of the decision to move Neal.

I also heard from Freidman that Neal really didnt want to leave Vegas. He wanted to stay but Vegas was only willing to go 4 years on a deal...Neal wanted 5. Neal (after taking the 5 years with Calgary) was in a situation that he likely regretted....having a chance for a redo he likely takes the 4 years in Vegas.

So I think when you couple that with Neals fatigue after going to 2 straight Cup finals you had a player that was in a bad place...Peters clearly didnt think it was worth trying to resolve the situation and wanted Neal gone.
Treliving made it happen and tried to address the toughness issue the Flames had.
The problem was that they got a bad contract and a player that has serious limitations in his game and isnt going to improve.

So Neal had the extra time this past summer to not only recover and train properly but also to reflect on things (the divorce with Vegas) and recommit himself to a new opportunity and show that last season was an aberration.

The result was a perfect scenario for the Oilers. They needed a top 6 scoring winger and Neal needed a change and brought his renewed commitment to Edmonton.
The Oilers also needed to dispatch Lucic and his toxic disposition.
This was a win/ win for Edmonton.

As for Calgary...we get to watch and enjoy watching Lucic take up a roster spot from a player that might actually help them.

 

[Bangers]

Why did they HAVE to move Neal? They had a player who just came off of an unprecedented low goal scoring year...did they really think that they were going to maximize their return by trading him when they did?

Why was there not a meeting between the GM, Coach and the player and discuss what went wrong and how they could adjust things moving forward?

The bottom line here is that the Flames gave up on a player way too soon and because of that they ended up downgrading their team.

I for one am thrilled it worked out that way but lets not pretend that the Flames were handcuffed on the Neal deal the same way the Oilers were with Lucic.
The Flames accomplished 3 things with this deal...they downgraded the talent on their team...they made there cap situation worse and they made their rival better.
You can try to put lipstick on this pig but it doesnt change the reality of the situation.

I'm not trying to put lipstick on a pig, I'm just trying to not make a bad move sound like the apocalypse.

It wasn't working for Neal in Calgary, and he clearly wanted out. You can't have a player like that taking up 6 mil of your cap space.

Also, while his contract isn't as bad as Lucic's, it is still a huge contract for an aging player coming off a down season.

This is evidenced by the fact that the only team that was willing to take on his contract being the Oilers - for Lucic.

 

[harpoon]

Justifying Flames horrible trade with “they had to move Neal” is hilarious.

Every Flame fan I know is using that line though. Not only was he useless on the ice, he was a bad teammate and didn’t get along with the coach.

Peters clearly didnt think it was worth trying to resolve the situation and wanted Neal gone

Peters is over-rated. Going to be hilarious when the knives come out for him in cowtown. Flame fan on my beer league team was already complaining bitterly at practice last night.

 

[Snowpants]

Every Flame fan I know is using that line though. Not only was he useless on the ice, he was a bad teammate and didn’t get along with the coach.

And also he got into a screaming match with Mike Smith!!!

Of course when you mention they team mates now on 5-0 team they go silent...

 

[guymez]

I'm not trying to put lipstick on a pig, I'm just trying to not make a bad move sound like the apocalypse.

It wasn't working for Neal in Calgary, and he clearly wanted out. You can't have a player like that taking up 6 mil of your cap space.

Also, while his contract isn't as bad as Lucic's, it is still a huge contract for an aging player coming off a down season.

This is evidenced by the fact that the only team that was willing to take on his contract being the Oilers - for Lucic.

The thing is that you are jumping to conclusions to try and support your point. There wasnt a single report that Neal wanted out...the reporting was that Peters wanted him out.

In terms of the contracts there is a major difference between them...Lucics is buyout proof...Neals isnt.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Neal - 8 goals in 6 games.

Seems that hole the Flames have on their 2nd line right wing where Anginapain and Frolik are shuttling back and forth would be filled quite nicely with the guy the Flames already had who Peters shoved down to the pressbox and is now playing 2nd line RW with the Oilers.

Maybe Lucic can be shifted over to RW with the Flames....

 

[guymez]

Neal - 8 goals in 6 games.

Seems that hole the Flames have on their 2nd line right wing where Anginapain and Frolik are shuttling back and forth would be filled quite nicely with the guy the Flames already had who Peters shoved down to the pressbox and is now playing 2nd line RW with the Oilers.

Maybe Lucic can be shifted over to RW with the Flames....

Did you mean 2nd line RW?
Here's hoping.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Neal - 8 goals in 6 games.

Seems that hole the Flames have on their 2nd line right wing where Anginapain and Frolik are shuttling back and forth would be filled quite nicely with the guy the Flames already had who Peters shoved down to the pressbox and is now playing 2nd line RW with the Oilers.

Maybe Lucic can be shifted over to RW with the Flames....

That's the best way for them to sewer the team and get a nice lottery pick.

 

[Todd from Leduc]

GONEAL

 

[guymez]

So Neal is on pace for 280 shots this season.

If he plays 80 games at 12% sp thats a 30+ goal season.

 

[Bangers]

The thing is that you are jumping to conclusions to try and support your point. There wasnt a single report that Neal wanted out...the reporting was that Peters wanted him out.

In terms of the contracts there is a major difference between them...Lucics is buyout proof...Neals isnt.

It was widely reported he was p***ed off with the coach/team following his playoff benching.

Put it this way, if Lucic started scoring a pot of goals for the Flames (as unlikely as that may be) and Neal gets injured, is it still a bad deal for the Oilers?

I would say no, because Lucic wanted out and that contract was going to be a nightmare for at least two seasons. He also wasn't going to improve his game with the Oil.

Ultimately, the trade is a win (so far) for the Oilers in hindsight, but at the time, people were happier about getting rid of the contract than about acquiring Neal.

 

[Mr Positive]

Ultimately, the trade is a win (so far) for the Oilers in hindsight, but at the time, people were happier about getting rid of the contract than about acquiring Neal.

that is true, but it always had the appeal of both. It was a win-win trade for us. The most important thing was the safety net of not having a NMC to potentially worry about on Lucic, and also Neal would be much easier to buy out next summer.

But if you look at the polls from back then, most fans thought there was definitely a player upside in Neal as well, with a definite chance we would not want to buy him out when the dust settled.

I thought he had potential to really catch fire, but I didn't imagine it would be as a PP specialist. I thought perhaps he would land on that top line and get lots of points that way.

 

[PinSeeker]

It goes unnoticed in the loss last night, but the way he scored shows his skill. Most of our team would have buried it in Crawford's pad. Neal went bar down. Underrated goal for him.

 

[joestevens29]

It goes unnoticed in the loss last night, but the way he scored shows his skill. Most of our team would have buried it in Crawford's pad. Neal went bar down. Underrated goal for him.

Especially for a guy who's shot was apparently gone in pre-season and never coming back.

 

[joestevens29]

It was widely reported he was p***ed off with the coach/team following his playoff benching.

In all fairness he should've been mad with himself. He wasn't doing anything and they were giving him damn near 3 minutes a night on the PP.

Worked out perfectly for us, but I think it should've been a wake up call to Neal that he had to be better.

 

[Slats432]

Funny thing is that if Neal went cold and scored 8 more the rest of the year and say 20 apples the trade would still be a huge win for the Oilers. "Had to trade Neal." Lolz.

 

[guymez]

It was widely reported he was p***ed off with the coach/team following his playoff benching.

Put it this way, if Lucic started scoring a pot of goals for the Flames (as unlikely as that may be) and Neal gets injured, is it still a bad deal for the Oilers?

I would say no, because Lucic wanted out and that contract was going to be a nightmare for at least two seasons. He also wasn't going to improve his game with the Oil.

Ultimately, the trade is a win (so far) for the Oilers in hindsight, but at the time, people were happier about getting rid of the contract than about acquiring Neal.

I think there is some truth to this for sure. There is a buyout option for Neal that just isnt an option for Lucic.
So if Neal didnt work out at least there was an out.

In terms of the player....many posters framed that deal as a 'garbage for garbage' deal.

I was one of the strong advocates on here for a Neal/Lucic swap.
My position was that Neal (unlike Lucic) had been a consistent 20+ goal scorer for his entire career and was very likely to bounce back.
So the deal for me was a no brainer. If Neal didnt work out (which I felt was unlikely) then the buyout option was there. If Neal did work out (very likely) then it was a steal of the decade for the Oilers.

So far its been a Steal of a deal and it was a win before Neal even played a game.
That is because of the contract and IMO getting rid of Lucics toxic disposition.

 

[PuckNut]

I still hear from Flames fans that I know who think it is easy to trade Lucic or bury him in the minors. They are convinced that the no movement clause is gone, despite the reports that the Flames would honour it, and that he will gladly be exposed in the expansion draft of things don’t work out. With Lucic already being moved to the fourth line after him and Bennet were doing nothing but taking bad penalties, it won’t be long before the mental gymnastics are done.

 

[Heavy Dee]

I agree with that but two things really make it a horrible trade:

1) They are forced to protect him for the Seattle expansion draft

2) They traded with a direct rival / divisional opponent

Lucic by then would waive and be happy to go to Seattle

 

[guymez]

Lucic by then would waive and be happy to go to Seattle

The good news...Lucic is somebody elses problem now.
The great news...the Oilers have a legit top 6 player in his place.

Seriously...could this situation have worked out any better than it did?

This is a freaking grand slam for the Holland and the Oilers.

 

[Heavy Dee]

The good news...Lucic is somebody elses problem now.
The great news...the Oilers have a legit top 6 player in his place.

Seriously...could this situation have worked out any better than it did?

This is a freaking grand slam for the Holland and the Oilers.

I could honestly see Treliving packaging a first to entice Francis to draft him.

 

[guymez]

I could honestly see Treliving packaging a first to entice Francis to draft him.

I think something like that (a major enticement) is the only real out for the Flames....and I freaking love it.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

this trade was a win the second it was agreed to, mainly to rid ourselves of Lucic's contract

the fact Neal is producing isn't a huge surprise, he's done it his whole career except 1 season (didn't think he'd have 8 goals though)... but what's is surprising is how much better all-around he looks than Lucic...he has offensive instincts Lucic never had, is involved in the play, skates decently enough, and generally plays like he cares

Lucic is a 4th liner now, who isn't fast enough and has stone hands....he's done

stunning Treliving made this trade...the Flames got absolutely hosed in the deal and are stuck with his NMC and buyout-proof contract for 4 more years

 

[oobga]

Funny thing is that if Neal went cold and scored 8 more the rest of the year and say 20 apples the trade would still be a huge win for the Oilers. "Had to trade Neal." Lolz.

Kinda funy how Neal was the only skill player on the Flames that didn't hit a career high SH% last year. We was their only skill guy that was going to regress to the mean in a positive way for them this season. Dumped him instead for a turd.

 

[nuck]

I'm not trying to put lipstick on a pig, I'm just trying to not make a bad move sound like the apocalypse.

It wasn't working for Neal in Calgary, and he clearly wanted out. You can't have a player like that taking up 6 mil of your cap space.

Also, while his contract isn't as bad as Lucic's, it is still a huge contract for an aging player coming off a down season.

This is evidenced by the fact that the only team that was willing to take on his contract being the Oilers - for Lucic.

Flames have been crying they are too soft as well, or at least that was the narrative at the time of the trade talking about the playoff series. They don't want Hamonic answering the bell for cheap shots and may perceive Looch to be a playoff type contributor. The last playoff I saw nobody would fight him so bell answering may not be a real thing but I would expect him to be running over some players if he gets back to the post season. I look at it as a win - tread water kind of trade. Lindholm came out of nowhere and took his spot and he wasn't going to be a top pp guy ahead of Tkachuk so he couldn't have the big season there he can in Edmonton. There is a good chance Calgary gets more value from the draft pick than from Lucic though.