Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
I"m likely reading too much into this, but in reading Peters' comments I get the impression the organization did some reflection on why the Neal signing failed so miserably. It quickly became evident there was not a great fit for Neal on this team unless he was scoring on the first line. It really brought into question just how well thought out that signing was in the first place, and if they had alternative plans for fitting him into the lineup (and if they really did their homework on the type of player and personality they were getting).
There seems to be a lot of thought of how to make Lucic successful.
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I certainly think that's at least close to what happened.
Really though a perennial 20 goal guy should have been a good bet. I think Neal likely let them down in the shape he came in with, and then Lindholm surprised everyone by being a great fit on the top line. I would guess at best they thought they'd rotate the two in and out quite a bit.
I don't think Neal was a problem in the room per say. But a proud athlete used to getting prime ice time and producing would certainly have a mood change as the season went on.
But I think you're spot on ... they felt Neal wouldn't get the opportunity to bounce back in Calgary given the roster construction and had to get him off the books. Also think the buy out was either not wanted by Treliving for restrictive reasons or turned down outright by the owners when he asked.