Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
Neal wasn’t a failure because he aged badly - he was just a failure as a player.
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You seem to want things both ways.
James Neal is
exactly the cautionary tale of what happens when you overpay for aging veterans in decline. Before the Flames signed him to that 5 year deal at 32 years old he was already declining. You can say "failure as a player" to delude things, but the reality is he failed in Calgary because he was falling off due to age. Sure he didn't handle it very well, getting old and losing a step is frustrating. But even after trading him to the Oilers, he had a hot streak and then hit a wall again because, you guessed it, his body was no longer up to it.
Same case for Lucic. The mind was there, but the body was not. Can't pay guys for what they think they are. And most players do not age like fine wines.