Neal scored 7 last year and the Flames still finished 1st in the west, 2nd in the NHL and 2nd in the NHL in goals.
The Flames don't need him, they need to get tougher to play against Lucic adds that. Listen to what all his teammates are saying in the first week of the season. His very presence even on the bench deters the opposition.
So I wouldn't just look at it from a statistical point of view, hockey is a game of intangibles too.
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