Quote:
Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache
Best forwards in Vegas? Not so much. In one dimension only, could you make a case.
But Smith, Reilly and Marchessault were all above +30. Neal was -11
James Neal got off to a hot start in Vegas with 6 goals in 4 games. He ended the season ice cold with 1 goal in 17 games
While he built a reputation for scoring, he accomplished it with HOF caliber centers such as Modano and Malkin doing the heavy lifting (while Crosby also took a lot of tough matchups which didn’t hurt)
Nashville let him go for a reason, and he was double digit minus in his last year in Nashville and also Vegas
Brad made a terrible judgment to pay for a guy who was producing well below his peak with his overall game falling off
Good to see the Oilers have him on the books for years to come
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Can't argue how it turned out, for sure. Complete bust, and you'd hope they took a look at their pro scouting department as a result.
But it's not like Vegas was pushing him out the door ... they had a similar offer less a year on the table to bring him back.
His warts couldn't have been too obvious if the team that was witnessing the plus minus disaster was still on board.