Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
I guess the numbers likely bear this out, but I really can’t think of what Neal actually did on the ice to make his linemates better. I really think Neal needs to come into camp and prove he deserves better linemates.
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I just think it could happen on circumstance alone. If Frolik is shipped out with no external replacement, who is more likely to be slotted into that 2RW role?
I'd like to see Neal given a shot there. He succeeded in Vegas given good linemates and tanked on the infrequent occasion that they were taken away. He registered slightly over a hundred minutes each with Gaudreau and Tkachuk at 5v5 this year and the pairings both worked well from shot-generation and shot-prevention metric standpoints -- neither Gaudreau nor Tkachuk were significantly hurt by the pairing, either, and Tkachuk seemingly benefited. Neal dragged Ryan, Bennett, and Jankowski down substantially, though, specifically in the defensive zone -- he needs elite (or at least excellent) linemates to be successful.