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View Poll Results: Thoughts on the James Neal signing?
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Love It
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411 |
46.55% |
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Love the add, worried about the term
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328 |
37.15% |
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Neutral
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30 |
3.40% |
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Wait and see
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71 |
8.04% |
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Hate it
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43 |
4.87% |
12-16-2018, 07:02 PM
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#1161
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: NC
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Neal has looked more noticeable, more engaged. Plus, it's not a coincidence that this team is winning with him in the lineup.
While the contract looks scary, I am happy with him on the team. I expect him to make some noise in 2019.
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The Following User Says Thank You to ForeverFlameFan For This Useful Post:
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12-16-2018, 07:18 PM
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#1162
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Crash and Bang Winger
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Gibsons BC
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Bardown posted a photo of Neal's tape job on his stick on Instagram and it honestly looks like the guy is trying not to score.
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12-16-2018, 07:20 PM
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#1163
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Lifetime Suspension
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: North America
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan
Neal has looked more noticeable, more engaged. Plus, it's not a coincidence that this team is winning with him in the lineup.
While the contract looks scary, I am happy with him on the team. I expect him to make some noise in 2019.
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He looked really noticeable today.
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12-16-2018, 07:24 PM
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#1164
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erikk3
Bardown posted a photo of Neal's tape job on his stick on Instagram and it honestly looks like the guy is trying not to score.
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Sticky side out?
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The Following User Says Thank You to Strange Brew For This Useful Post:
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12-16-2018, 07:27 PM
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#1165
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Crash and Bang Winger
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Gibsons BC
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Sticky side out?
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I wish I knew how to post it here. Just a really poor tape job, gaps in the tape, sections of tape folded over on itself, etc. Haha
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12-16-2018, 07:30 PM
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#1166
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#1 Goaltender
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Team is winning now, so Neal’s struggles can be forgiven. But if the Flames start to lose at all, Neal’s going to be roasted as bad as Brouwer. Treliving didn’t sign him to nearly $6M over 5 years to score 7 goals in 82 games.
He’s been quite fortunate to receive such a long leash because the majority of forwards on the team are actually outplaying him. If it was me, the lazy penalties, poor defensive play and lack of production would have him down to the 4th line.
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12-16-2018, 07:33 PM
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#1167
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#1 Goaltender
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper
Team is winning now, so Neal’s struggles can be forgiven. But if the Flames start to lose at all, Neal’s going to be roasted as bad as Brouwer. Treliving didn’t sign him to nearly $6M over 5 years to score 7 goals in 82 games.
He’s been quite fortunate to receive such a long leash because the majority of forwards on the team are actually outplaying him. If it was me, the lazy penalties, poor defensive play and lack of production would have him down to the 4th line.
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Might as well scratch him. If he cannot generate anything on the third line he aint doing nothing playing on the 4th.
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12-16-2018, 07:37 PM
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#1168
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Lifetime Suspension
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Obligatory, "Trade em for a bag of pucks!"
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12-16-2018, 07:52 PM
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#1170
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Vancouver
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Yeah. Dude come on. That’s a freaking brutal tape job.
Especially for a guy apparently so particular about his stick. PeeWee kids would be getting roasted for that.
__________________
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12-16-2018, 08:01 PM
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#1171
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Lifetime Suspension
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I was so excited when we signed Neal. Not sure what happened. He isn’t snake bitten like Bennett, he just flat out sucks. He’s doing nothing out there. Just out for a little skate. The James Neal I watched for years was a player on the edge. Even when he wasnt scoring he was one of the dirtiest SOBs in the league. Where is that? I don’t think I’ve seen it once all year.
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12-16-2018, 08:48 PM
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#1172
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#1 Goaltender
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You know players that just seem to have the puck follow them around? Neal is the opposite of that.
The pass comes to him but he is looking the wrong way, the rebound pops out in front just after he’s skated away from the net, can’t make a pass or receive one cleanly.
I know he can play better, but it is amazing how bad he looks out there so often.
I hope he figures it out, but I am definitely getting worried.
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12-16-2018, 10:47 PM
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#1173
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wins 10 internets
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: slightly to the left
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Sometimes players just hit an expiry date and no longer have what it takes to play in this league. Gomez, Cheechoo, Redden, Brad Richards, all top point producers who suddenly fell off the map without any real reason. With Neal I'm not seeing a guy fighting through bad puck luck or putting in an extra effort when the points aren't coming, all I see is a slow skater who can't read the play in the offensive zone and isn't effective on the backcheck coming the other way. I'd love for him to prove me wrong, but so far I haven't seen anything to suggest that he's not on his way to joining that list of has beens
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12-17-2018, 09:07 AM
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#1175
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Springbank
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryan Coke
You know players that just seem to have the puck follow them around? Neal is the opposite of that.
The pass comes to him but he is looking the wrong way, the rebound pops out in front just after he’s skated away from the net, can’t make a pass or receive one cleanly.
I know he can play better, but it is amazing how bad he looks out there so often.
I hope he figures it out, but I am definitely getting worried.
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I'm not worried because he's not hurting the team. But I am not as hopeful as I was - I wanted to give him a 1/4 season top get accustomed to the team. That's come and gone with no change.
You are right - he gets no bounces. Passes come just outside of prime position, pucks bounce the wrong way, etc. I think he's not found a good matchup linemate wise and I think he's not in the right spot on the PP.
I think Backlund isn't a fit due to his role, Jankowski doesn't have the vision to find Neal most of the time and Ryan doesn't have the passing ability. Dube when he was up is too up-tempo.
I'd still like to see Tkachuk-Bennett-Neal. I think Bennett's agressiveness would rub off some, Tkachuk is a decent playmaker, and works the puck well.
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12-17-2018, 09:26 AM
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#1176
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First Line Centre
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Bottom line, he needs to claim a spot on the top two lines.
Gaudreau - Monahan - Neal
or
Tkachuk - Backlund - Neal
Perhaps create a new 2nd line of Tkachuk - Lindholm - Neal
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12-17-2018, 09:27 AM
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#1177
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Calgary
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
I'm not worried because he's not hurting the team. But I am not as hopeful as I was - I wanted to give him a 1/4 season top get accustomed to the team. That's come and gone with no change.
You are right - he gets no bounces. Passes come just outside of prime position, pucks bounce the wrong way, etc. I think he's not found a good matchup linemate wise and I think he's not in the right spot on the PP.
I think Backlund isn't a fit due to his role, Jankowski doesn't have the vision to find Neal most of the time and Ryan doesn't have the passing ability. Dube when he was up is too up-tempo.
I'd still like to see Tkachuk-Bennett-Neal. I think Bennett's agressiveness would rub off some, Tkachuk is a decent playmaker, and works the puck well.
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I would like to see Quine-Bennett-neal or Czarnik-Bennett-Neal or Jankowski-Bennett-Neal. What's it gonna take for Peters to put Bennett down the middle with Neal?
__________________
"May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory."
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12-17-2018, 09:31 AM
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#1178
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Fearmongerer
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
I would like to see Quine-Bennett-neal or Czarnik-Bennett-Neal or Jankowski-Bennett-Neal. What's it gonna take for Peters to put Bennett down the middle with Neal?
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You have been beating the Bennett at C thing for months.
Its not happening because he is not good enough to play there. He proved that repeatedly for 3 years.
His hockey IQ prohibits it plus he is a black hole offensively.
He is OK as a depth winger...that's it....thats all he is or has proven thus far. Even then its shaky.
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12-17-2018, 09:34 AM
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#1179
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Crash and Bang Winger
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Over there
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Magnum PEI
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Plus, his Gatorade is orange
#Fail
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12-17-2018, 09:36 AM
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#1180
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In the Sin Bin
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
I would like to see Quine-Bennett-neal or Czarnik-Bennett-Neal or Jankowski-Bennett-Neal. What's it gonna take for Peters to put Bennett down the middle with Neal?
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Bennett is not an NHL calibre centre. And going back to Gulutzan era mistakes would be a tremendously dumb thing for us to do.
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