Neal did nothing and was proving to be a distraction. People forget that he argued with Peters in front of the team on the ice during practice in the playoffs for additional ice-time, and he followed that up with even more lazy play - especially on defence - resulting in that goal against. He was a healthy scratch the next - and final - playoff game. The one and only saving grace was an easier contract to buy-out.
Lucic is proving to not be a distraction, and has shown emotion and hard work. Plus he is faster. Sticks up for his teammates. Plays pretty decent defensively. Plus, Lucic may just outright retire if his play deteriorates further, though his contract is horrendous in terms of a buyout.
As I see it: Flames got tougher (was definitely a need), they got faster (Lucic is WAY faster than Neal), they got the better teammate, they shed some cap for the duration of the deal, and they MAY be getting a pick. Unless Calgary could somehow trade for McDavid who can score goals off Neal's ass, this year's Neal would have been the exact same as last year's Neal, perhaps worse since his attitude would have been worse.
I do that trade all day long.
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