Regardless of whether Neal had pulled it together with fitness and attitude during the offseason, it's pretty clear the coach/Flames didn't want him around. So trading swapping bad contracts and getting a player with an increased physical presence, along with a bonus of a possible 3rd rounder, and a possibly improved balance on the cap hit doesn't seem too bad.
We've now replaced Neal and Hathaway with Lucic and Rieder. Apart from the money and term, I like what Lucic brings, but are the Flames better as a result of the deal? I'm not so sure. In retrospect, if Treliving had never signed Neal in the first place, we would have been better off, but...
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