Quote:
Originally Posted by fleury
See, while I agree, I have a different take on it.
The Neal deal at the time was steeper than anticipated, but the length was very questionable. I still don’t think it’s been outed exactly why Neal was upset (ice time?) but regardless the Flames decided to offload him at his low point while he was being disruptive. I think we all agree on that. I think personally, and this part is debatable, that they handled it wrong. We’ve seen the organization handle the Bennett situation badly and only now come to the realization that you have to showcase him then deal him. I know it was the off season but I’d have liked to see them tell him the same thing - we’ll start the season on the top line and try and deal you. Bringing on a worse contract to solve the character issue and bad contract, was a terrible move where I estimate about 6% of your cap is tied up in. On top of that they feel the need to play the guy when generally he’s a hindrance. Anyway, it’s a cap discussion so I’ll leave it at that.
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At this point though Lucic has proven to be a more effective player than Neal. You can't gift a guy who isn't putting forth any effort, like Neal was, and seemingly causing issues in the room top line minutes. You simply can't. You are trying to win games.
Every second that Neal is on the ice, he lowers the chance you win.