It's important to remember that, regardless of who it is, the Flames are essentially locked into a ~$5 million-per-year committment to some player. That was a mistake initiated last summer, but it is now a relatively pointless consideration.
The fact that Lucic makes $5.25 million should not be an issue; we must consider whether he gives the Flames more mileage for that dollar value than Neal.
Personally, I think I'd rather spend, say, $2 million on Lucic than Neal. If the two players were UFA today and Treliving was forced to choose between them, with their production last season considered in a vacuum, I think he'd go with Lucic. I know I would.
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