It's almost as if Neal has lost a step (or three). Weird.
Neal last year so much reminded me of Iginla during his last two NHL seasons after he lost his legs - and while Jarome was still somewhat productive (47 point year - followed by a near identical year to the one Neal just had) he was a complete liability in every other aspect, and only put up those totals due to being played up the lineup. I see Neal providing a similar impact for Edmonton.
Connor will do his best to lug around Neal and might make him look somewhat productive for a year or two but I just cant see the Oilers finding any sort of team success with Neal in that role. Calgary could very well have stapled Neal to the top line but thought better of it as it would do more harm than good and ultimately was willing to move him for a bottom six player that better suits the team needs. That speaks volumes to what he currently provides as an NHL player.
Time will tell how this plays out. Both the teams and the players themselves are very happy to move on from each other.
|