As mad as I am about the NMC and buyout proof nature of the contract, after decompressing a bit and looking at it objectively, I don’t this trade is necessarily as bad as it initially seems.
I took the last 20+ minutes or so looking at some highlights of Lucic’s better games over this and last season and I’m actually sort of looking forward to seeing what Lucic can do in a Flames Jersey now or at the very least, I don’t hate this as much as I did 6 hours ago.
https://youtu.be/di7a1Y7HxK0
https://youtu.be/zlDfCy1QbTA
If you watch closely, Lucic is all over the highlights and it actually looks like he could provide the Flames with some much needed elements.
From what I saw, he’s not as slow as I thought, he has a heavy presence in front of the net, can create chaos, strong in corners and can protect the puck and make plays, hits hard on the forecheck to create turnovers, hockey iq isn’t bad, has decent vision and can make an outlet pass.
Coupled with the physicality and toughness and I don’t think I completely hate the player. Neal may or may not be able to find his scoring touch with McDavid, but I really think he’ll be better than what Neal would be in the same situations.
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