Quote:
Originally Posted by Saqe
Oh I agree, he was Lucic bad last year for the Flames.
But it's hard to see how he wouldn't be scoring those goals for the Flames this year. He's just standing infront of the net and shooting the puck on the PP, literally doing nothing else.
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His nose was out of joint, doubt he would have brought it this year unless he got his own way. oilers on the other hand tend to give opportunities rather than have players earn it; So that situation was a good fit for Neal. All Neal had to do last season was "
earn it", but he chose to hold the team hostage with his poor attitude and poor inexcusable play.
Flames made the right choice to cut him loose rather than reward bad behavior and baggage which he carried with him all season! He was paid well as a professional to perform, but still came to work unprepared (That is on Neal). He didn't want set an example, he wanted opportunities handed to him.
To play on the top lines you have to be able to shut down the other teams top lines; If Neal refused to put in the 2 way work just wanting to stand in front of the net and scoring goals, you can see why he would be considered a liability. If Neal had earned it, I have no doubt he would have been put on those top 2 lines.
Considering the Oilers are poorly structured, they are not going to make Neal earn anything. Scoring goals is great but does not translate into strong positional 2 way play.