MrGold
Mark Scheifele is a piece of ****
- Jan 7, 2012
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James Neal will score 50+ goals this year
- Thread starter MrGold
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Over under on number of posts by @Puckluck13 in this thread also being 50+?
HabsQC
Registered User
Yeah but Lucic leads the league in PIMs it was a good trade for both teams 
Only fools lie to themselves flames fans
Only fools lie to themselves flames fans
Yeah but Lucic leads the league in PIMs it was a good trade for both teams
Only fools lie to themselves flames fans
I don't think any Flames fans actually like the trade. Big fail on the Flames management team in signing him and then handling his poor season. Neal wasn't a fit on the Flames from the first day they signed him
There is a whole cult sorry I mean website where you can find at least a couple dozen who do
Also quite a few here wait for the usual suspects to show up
I don't think he was a poor fit at all. I think he was burned out mentally and physically. The man is clearly a top 6 forward and expecting him to pull bottom six duties is silly after signing him to that contract.
You don't give a guy a 5 year committment and then pull the plug on him after the first season when he hasn't had any real rest or recovery time over the last three years. That's f***in bush league.
I think Lindholm breaking out made him a bad fit. They weren't going to break up the Flames top-line for Neal and he can't play the defensive game the second line plays. Leaving him play on the third line and fourth line which did not work.
Burn-out or not, they rotated Neal throughout the top-6 and he didn't work.
I agree, they should have given him another year but it would have been on the third line with Bennett and Ryan. He isn't scoring 8 goals with those folks.
Empoleon8771
Registered User
Yeah but Lucic leads the league in PIMs it was a good trade for both teams
Only fools lie to themselves flames fans
Neal having an incredible season for Edmonton doesn't make the deal worse for Calgary, because Neal was terrible in Calgary. The deal is turning out to be amazing for Edmonton, but it's not worse for Calgary because of his success in Edmonton.
The only way that trade would be bad for Calgary is if Lucic is worse in a bottom-6 role than Neal or having Lucic hurts them in some way that having Neal wouldn't have hurt them.
GeeoffBrown
Registered User
- Jul 6, 2007
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It makes it worse because Lucic isn't an upgrade and has a worse contract.
The Flames not only sold low on Neal, they got the worst value possible and let their top rival off the hook by taking their previously immovable contract and served up a top 6 forward to boot.
Perhaps on the ice, Lucic isn't a downgrade on what Neal provided for Calgary but in every other way, it's a loss. They could have just buried Neal in the minors if he was that much of a detriment. Never trade for Lucic, that's just dumb.
CupsOverCash
Registered User
- Jun 16, 2009
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What the hell was Calgary thinking? Im still not convinced that this wasnt Bettman trying to get McDavids team more relevant. Cant do that with the anchor that is Lucic on that team.
Empoleon8771
Registered User
No, what matters is whether Lucic is an upgrade on what Calgary got out of Neal, not what Edmonton is getting out of Neal. Calgary ****ed up by signing Neal, and had to take Lucic to fix that error. Neal re-finding his game on a new team where he fits doesn't make that deal any worse for them.
If a team trades a 30 point player and that player explodes into a PPG player on their new team, that doesn't make the trade worse for the team that made the trade. They traded a 30 point player, whatever the player becomes beyond that is just benefiting the new team.
If Calgary had traded Neal out east I would agree with you but since Calgary dealt Neal to a divisional rival, then yes absolutely Neal having a great year makes this trade worse for Calgary.
You’ve made a team you are battling against in the standings inherently better. Neal has been a huge contributor to the Oilers hot start and also a great fit on the #1 ranked power play (still early tho). The Flames gifted the Oilers a top 6 forward when Edmonton was desperate for exactly that kind of forward.
Neal’s success absolutely makes this a worse trade for Calgary.
oXo Cube
Power Play Merchant
Yeah, no he won't.
I think he might make it to 30 though which would blow my personal expectations way out the water.
I think he might make it to 30 though which would blow my personal expectations way out the water.
Wait, so when the Oilers traded 60 point Hall and he turned into an MVP, why were they getting torched for trading an elite MVP caliber forward?
Furthermore, the team they traded Neal to wasn't some out of conference opponent, it was their top division rival that they not only handed a top 6 forward to but also took their worst contract from and as I said before, it's a loss because it's a worse contract for minimal at best on ice performance if that. Spin it any way you want, Calgary got hosed.
Skolman
Registered User
- Feb 16, 2018
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100% it does.
Flames fans claimed Neal was done, that he can't skate, that he can't shoot, that he is a defensive liability, and basically that he is useless out there and not the player he once was.
Oiler fans claimed this wasn't the case, and that he will bounce back in Edmonton after literally only 1 down year where he had a number of things not go his way.
Which side looks right as of now?
Lucic was a bum in Edmonton, and now he's a bum in Calgary.
Empoleon8771
Registered User
Because fans are dumb and love to pile on the Oilers
Hall for Larsson was bad on its own for Edmonton, but Hall winning a Hart doesn't make the deal worse for them. It's the same way that Schultz for a 3rd wasn't bad for Edmonton just because Schultz got better in Pittsburgh. You can also apply this to the Perron to Pittsburgh deal, which kinda flopped for Pittsburgh.
The Flames traded a bum for a bum then. Neal reverting back to the goal scorer he was before Calgary while in Edmonton doesn't mean that he was that caliber of player in Calgary. What matters is what he was in Calgary, which was a tire fire. The Oilers are massively benefiting from buying low on Neal, but Calgary did what it had to do in order to get rid of a player who just didn't fit there.
Because fans are dumb and love to pile on the Oilers
Hall for Larsson was bad on its own for Edmonton, but Hall winning a Hart doesn't make the deal worse for them. It's the same way that Schultz for a 3rd wasn't bad for Edmonton just because Schultz got better in Pittsburgh.
The Flames traded a bum for a bum then. Neal reverting back to the goal scorer he was before Calgary while in Edmonton doesn't mean that he was that caliber of player in Calgary. What matters is what he was in Calgary, which was a tire fire. The Oilers are massively benefiting from buying low on Neal, but Calgary did what it had to do in order to get rid of a player who just didn't fit there.
Actually it did make it worse. If Hall was that 60 point player he was in his final two seasons in Edmonton, the trade wouldn't have been nearly as frowned upon.
Hell, some were even calling it a win win when Hall had a mediocre first season in New Jersey and Larsson a good one in Edmonton. Perception always changes with trades after the fact. Hell, look at the Marino trade with your team as a much lesser example.
The fact is that Neal has been a good top 6 forward every year except for last season. Last season was an outlier. Some thought it was because he's past his prime but it's obvious based on this early stage that he still has juice left in the tank and that last season was an aberration.
If they had traded him out of conference, it would be less of a loss but to gift a top 6 forward to your rival and take on their albatross contract in the process is a big screw up. If Lucic starts producing something, anything, then maybe they can save some face but he's provided nothing so far. We'll see how it plays out. Still very early to make final judgments but I don't see Lucic turning back the clock anytime soon.
Kamiccolo
Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
DannyGallivan
Your world frightens and confuses me
Cup or Bust
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- Oct 17, 2017
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I wouldn't bet any money of him scoring 50, but he has played well and made the powerplay more dangerous.
ElysiumAB
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- Sep 12, 2013
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Does Neal finish the season with more points than Lucic has shots on goal?
Sheppy
Registered User
I would say he is worse than Neal tbh.
I don't think Neal will keep this going, not by a long stretch. Once the Oilers start playing Playoff teams (they have played one so far) they will have a losing streak. Thats when we'll see how he responds. That said, even if he doesn't keep it going he will surely hit 20 where as I legitimately see us scratching Lucic by Christmas.
I'm noticing Flames fans over rating Lucic like crazy lately. He finishes his checks and we seem to act like it's the most amazing physical performance that outweighs the fact that he is a total blackhole when the play touches his stick. Worse than Neal last year. No chance Lucic matches Neals points from last season.
It's a bad trade, not as bad as Oiler fans want to make it out to be since a)Neal isn't going to score 50 lol and b)Lindholm is better than him in every situation and he's not good enough defenisvely to play on the 3M line so he wouldn't get this chance in Calgary.
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