Lucic has more heart than Neal any day of the week. Neal is a player who only is happy if he can tap pucks in the net. He has zero upside without ELITE talent playing with him. Lucic is happy to be a part or a piece of a winning formula, which I think he does fit well with Calgary. Remember, we didn’t trade for him to score goals. We signed James Neal to score goals.
Lucic can be effective on the forecheck, and definitely is a leader. When he is on the ice, there is a calming effect with the younger players playing with him.
When James Neal is on the ice, the puck is in his own net more times than not, and not a single player looks up to James Neal.
Lucic > Neal.
|