Quote:
Originally Posted by djsFlames
If they are both junk then why is it one of the all time worst trades? Wouldn't giving up assets for junk be worse? (Which we have done)
I think what you really mean is that the Neal signing is one of the all time worst UFA contracts we've dealt out, and was easily the bigger no-no than the trade.
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It's a terrible trade because Neal actually did contribute for the Oilers this season and while the Lucic contract is buyout proof the Neal one is not. He was a difference maker for therm early in the season and wins in October/November count as much as they to in February/March. You will not find a single Oilers fan today that regrets the trade yet Flames fans are still divided. There's a reason for that. If you want an objective viewpoint just go outside Alberta and see what hockey media thought about the trade. They all think it was a major win for the Oilers.
Also the justification used by many here was that Neal and Peters didn't get along but low and behold we find out Lucic also didn't get along with Peters to the point he was thinking of packing his bags and going home (nothing says warrior like quitting when times get tough). It seems to me Neal took a lot of heat when Peters was likely the root of most problems with the team. At the end of the day what I have learned from this entire mess is that I no longer trust the judgement of this GM to hire a head coach or sign players in free agency as time and time again he's failed on both of these GM tasks.