Gilbertson: Neal proud of team success, knows he has more to offer

[sureLoss]

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...-more-to-offer

“I think if you’re doing the right things and you’re playing the right way, that stuff will come,” Neal reasoned. “If your team is not winning and you’re not contributing, then it’s a problem. But when your team is playing really well and you’re winning hockey games, then things are good.

“Obviously, it has been a bit of a tough stretch at the start of the year for me. But that being said, I love the way our team has played. I came here to win, and I’ll do anything to be a part of a winning team.

“So I’m really happy with the way our guys have played and I’ll try to contribute everything I can to that.”

“For me, I’m just going to continue to get better,” said Neal, whose lengthy resume includes 100 playoff appearances and trips to the Stanley Cup final with the Nashville Predators in 2017 and the Golden Knights last spring. “I think we have a great team here. I think you use your experience, you use your presence, you use everything that I have learned throughout my career about what you have to do to be going into playoffs, what you have to do in playoffs.

“I feel better,” he added later. “It’s not easy changing teams. I’ve been learning and getting comfortable with your linemates — all those things go into it — and I think as we go on, you’re going to see a more comfortable player.

“But like I said, as long as our team is winning, I’m all good.”

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey...-more-to-offer

lets hope so...

I like Neal, and think that he definitely has looked better in the 3 games before the break.. absolutely snake bitten right now.

the flames are 1st in the west with virtually zero contribution from Neal... if he can regain some of his form, its pretty much found money...

[TheScorpion]

Some guys take a while to adjust. Hamonic needed time, Ryan needed time, Hamilton needed time... Neal seems to be coming around. I really like having him on the team -- he's a proven winner and he's not that bad.

Besides, look at the Lightning. They have Ryan Callahan who's being paid a similar salary and, at first glance, he seems way overpaid. He probably is. But a good team needs guys who have been there before, and Neal seems like a great dude who's helping this team in more ways than one.

[btimbit]

Says all the right things and does all the little things right. Doing the big things right will come.

It'll be like getting a playoff performer for free at the deadline if Neal got going

[Gaskal]

He made a deal with a leprechaun, who offered him the choice between personal success or team success.

The Real Deal, without hesitation, answered with team success.

[transplant99]

[EVERLAST]

I like Neal allot. I expect he may be able to play his best hockey yet when it really matters.

[Patek23]

It’s been talked about on things like spitting chiclets etc. But he’s an ultimate team guy and apparently is a huge contributor to the “glue” of this team. I could care less if Neal scores a point again for this team if he is a part of the engine driving the rest of the success for this team. Sometimes players find other ways to be valuable then scoring. And if he’s that solid of a locker room guy that he’s helping this surge in only that way then he’s worth every penny.

[Duffalufagus]

Agree that any contribution is found money at this point.

A deep run for this team will require great goaltending (still my biggest worry) and regular secondary scoring (feel like we’ll get this)

[mrdonkey]

Sure, you'd like to see him show up some more on the scoresheet. But he's one of the few guys on the team who has a whole bunch of experience going deep in the postseason, and I have a feeling that might become crucial come playoff time.

[cannon7]

Neal was a guy I hated to play against. Hoping to see a streak down the stretch.

[Boo Radley]

Neal gave my daughter a puck during the warm up at the game against the St Louis Blues before Christmas.

We are both big fans. I think he is going to be a huge factor in the playoffs.

[monkeyman]

Personally, I give Neal a bit of a pass, knowing he played hockey until June last year. I'd imagine the mental and physical toll that takes, especially for an older player, takes a little time to recover from. compounded by the fact he's on a new team. I bet he plays much better into the stretch and playoffs.

[browna]

James Neal’s play will likely be the least of our consistency concerns down the stretch. He’s been there before and done that, within a period in Game 7 of a Cup, and by all accounts an excellent teammate on and off the ice and recently starting to warm up. He will find his spots and get some big goals for us when it matters most,

How the young defenceman perform as they start getting into uncharted territory for games played and a season windows down, and for some reason, maybe because of last year’s disastrous final 2 calendar months for the 3M line, is something I’m worried about. Ideally it should mean Bennett Neal and Janko may have more opportunity to pick up the slack, but we will see.

[Yoho]

I think you’re all delusional. We are in trouble big time with this contract over the next 5 years.

“I could care less if he ever scores a point again”

Sorry not good enough.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Yoho

I think you’re all delusional.

Was this really necessary?

We are in trouble big time with this contrac over the next 5 years.

Maybe. There is evidence both for and against this. Right now, Neal's contract accounts for 7% of the cap, a number that will definitely go down going forward. He's shooting at an incredibly poor rate and seems due to heat up. But he's aging, yeah, and seems a little slow out there.

“I could care less if he ever scores a point again"

Sorry not good enough.

I mean, yeah, that's a little excessive, although you've cut off the latter part of that post:

"...if he is a part of the engine driving the rest of the success for this team."

Ultimately, the team needs to have success. If it does, there's really nothing to complain about.

[getoverit]

Give him a freakin centre already and we will have a producing 3rd line. Janko is not it. Move Janko to the 4th and continue to give him extra time playing short handed

[Calgary4LIfe]

I do hope that it continues. That contract is going to be an issue if he doesn't improve obviously - I don't think anyone can say with a straight face that ~10 goals a season for 5 seasons @5.75 is good value. In a cap world, a team HAS to get good value from as many contracts as possible. A team can always add cheap experience at the deadline for the third and fourth lines without term if that is what seems missing.


However, outside of one game, I also don't think that Neal has hurt the team. I also don't think that there is a single fan of the Flames who have watched every game and feel that the last 20 games of James Neal is the same player that was playing in the first 20 games to start the year. There has been a definite improvement both with and without the puck. One solid stretch of games where he starts getting the bounces can drastically alter everyone's perception of Neal, and as well give him some much needed confidence that can only help him pot a few more.


If Treliving acquires another solid piece for the top 9, this team will have some really solid depth heading into the playoffs. This team is essentially middle of the road at this point when looking outside the top 5 scorers on any team. Add a bit of a resurgence to Neal's game - reasonable to assume given his history and his increasingly better play - and suddenly this team will suddenly find itself with both an elite top line and crazy depth that would be difficult to contain.


I do think that any which way you look at it, at this point that Neal contract is more hindrance than help. I just think one can reasonably expect him to bounce back, and with the team doing so well, the team and the fans at large are afforded some patience with Neal finding his game again in Calgary.

[Jiggy_12]

If Neal and the Flames go on to somehow win a Stanley Cup this year - I don't think any of us will give a damn how many goals he scored in the regular season.

As far as I'm concerned, he's contributing in enough other ways and the team is winning. I wouldn't change a thing that got us to this point.

[IamNotKenKing]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Neal was a guy I hated to play against. Hoping to see a streak down the stretch.

Did you play against him a lot?