Brad "Frickin" Treliving

[AC]

The Oilers media and fans are going to be devastated when they realized Neal is even slower than Lucic.

Reddit user itoadaso1 dug up highlights for every point Lucic and Neal registered, as well as some additional hits/shifts by Lucic.

Lucic: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...n_video_clips/

Neal: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...f_every_point/

Once again, I'll point out maybe only 1 of Neal's 7 goals was off a legitimate shot. The rest were deflections (mostly accidental), or partial/flubbed shots.

This dump and chase hit by Lucic is caused by him skating faster than Neal did at any point last year: https://streamable.com/1eavt

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by AC

The Oilers media and fans are going to be devastated when they realized Neal is even slower than Lucic.

Reddit user itoadaso1 dug up highlights for every point Lucic and Neal registered, as well as some additional hits shifts by Lucic.

Lucic: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...n_video_clips/

Neal: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...f_every_point/

Once again, I'll point out maybe only 1 of Neal's 7 goals was off a legitimate shot. The rest were deflections (mostly accidental), or partial/flubbed shots.

This dump and chase hit by Lucic is caused by him skating faster than Neal did at any point last year: https://streamable.com/1eavt

I dunno man, check out the Wheels on Neal in this clip:

https://streamable.com/64qeo

Dude is absolutely flying

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by AC

The Oilers media and fans are going to be devastated when they realized Neal is even slower than Lucic.

Reddit user itoadaso1 dug up highlights for every point Lucic and Neal registered, as well as some additional hits/shifts by Lucic.

Lucic: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...n_video_clips/

Neal: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...f_every_point/

Once again, I'll point out maybe only 1 of Neal's 7 goals was off a legitimate shot. The rest were deflections (mostly accidental), or partial/flubbed shots.

This dump and chase hit by Lucic is caused by him skating faster than Neal did at any point last year: https://streamable.com/1eavt

We crack on the skating of Lucic and Neal - Jesse Puljujarvi looks like he's skating in mud. What's his excuse?

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

We crack on the skating of Lucic and Neal - Jesse Puljujarvi looks like he's skating in mud. What's his excuse?

He doesn’t make any, cause he doesn’t care.

Edit: I didn’t know about a surgery. He just strikes me as one of those players with natural talent and with a 0 on the give a #### meter. But maybe I’m wrong.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

We crack on the skating of Lucic and Neal - Jesse Puljujarvi looks like he's skating in mud. What's his excuse?

He had to have both his hips surgically repaired in March?

[Heavy Jack]

Originally Posted by Scroopy Noopers

He doesn’t make any, cause he doesn’t care.

What Flash said...

But also

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

He had to have both his hips surgically repaired in March?

That's a good excuse.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

What Flash said...

But also

this is my favourite hockey gif.

[Heavy Jack]

Hahahahaha it gets me every time ; right up there with the waffles/Jokinen gif

[Toonage]

The kid is a looker, no doubt, but I actually feel bad for him when I think how badly Edmonton botched his development and how they treated him in general. They couldn't run to the stage fast enough to grab a guy they didn't think they were going to get (and probably didn't even have him in their plans) and then threw him in the water to see if he could swim and with no translator available for him, didn't understand him when he shouted he was drowning.

Pardon the labored analogy.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Toonage

The kid is a looker, no doubt, but I actually feel bad for him when I think how badly Edmonton botched his development and how they treated him in general. They couldn't run to the stage fast enough to grab a guy they didn't think they were going to get (and probably didn't even have him in their plans) and then threw him in the water to see if he could swim and with no translator available for him, didn't understand him when he shouted he was drowning.

Pardon the labored analogy.

Edmonton isn't an ideal landing spot for any rookie but my personal feeling is that he was going to be a disappointment for any team that drafted him. Credit to Kekäläinen and his scouts as they picked up on something that other teams and talent evaluators missed with this guy.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by AC

The Oilers media and fans are going to be devastated when they realized Neal is even slower than Lucic.

Reddit user itoadaso1 dug up highlights for every point Lucic and Neal registered, as well as some additional hits/shifts by Lucic.

Lucic: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...n_video_clips/

Neal: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...f_every_point/

Once again, I'll point out maybe only 1 of Neal's 7 goals was off a legitimate shot. The rest were deflections (mostly accidental), or partial/flubbed shots.

This dump and chase hit by Lucic is caused by him skating faster than Neal did at any point last year: https://streamable.com/1eavt

Do you still have a link to that stream of Neal getting the huge ovation for his goal at the 'Dome? In a crappy year for Neal that was a fun moment to watch.

It really shows how far Flames fans went to support and welcome him, and in the end he just didn't have anything to give the team. What a crappy signing.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by AC

The Oilers media and fans are going to be devastated when they realized Neal is even slower than Lucic.

Reddit user itoadaso1 dug up highlights for every point Lucic and Neal registered, as well as some additional hits/shifts by Lucic.

Lucic: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...n_video_clips/

Neal: https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...f_every_point/

Once again, I'll point out maybe only 1 of Neal's 7 goals was off a legitimate shot. The rest were deflections (mostly accidental), or partial/flubbed shots.

This dump and chase hit by Lucic is caused by him skating faster than Neal did at any point last year: https://streamable.com/1eavt

I've said it before, and I will say it again - Neal's career low shooting percentage was not based simply on bad luck, and I saw nothing to make me think that way. In fact, when you watch the above, doesn't it make you think that perhaps his shooting percentage was actually INFLATED with some good luck?



Now, maybe he has bad wrists now and maybe some off-season wrist surgery will fix it. I have heard absolutely nothing about this, and he seems to be working out well enough, so I am out of explanations as to why exactly James Neal sucks at shooting the puck. I didn't see some bounce-back in terms of his shot.



Maybe it was a cumulative effect of changing teams, nerves, poor conditioning and poor chemistry that made him totally lose confidence... but this is some Nichuskin-level shooting incompetence that I witnessed last season. It was a whole lot of good luck that resulted in his goal totals being above 1, not bad luck.

[HighLifeMan]

It's almost as if Neal has lost a step (or three). Weird.

Neal last year so much reminded me of Iginla during his last two NHL seasons after he lost his legs - and while Jarome was still somewhat productive (47 point year - followed by a near identical year to the one Neal just had) he was a complete liability in every other aspect, and only put up those totals due to being played up the lineup. I see Neal providing a similar impact for Edmonton.

Connor will do his best to lug around Neal and might make him look somewhat productive for a year or two but I just cant see the Oilers finding any sort of team success with Neal in that role. Calgary could very well have stapled Neal to the top line but thought better of it as it would do more harm than good and ultimately was willing to move him for a bottom six player that better suits the team needs. That speaks volumes to what he currently provides as an NHL player.

Time will tell how this plays out. Both the teams and the players themselves are very happy to move on from each other.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

It's almost as if Neal has lost a step (or three). Weird.

Neal last year so much reminded me of Iginla during his last two NHL seasons after he lost his legs - and while Jarome was still somewhat productive (47 point year - followed by a near identical year to the one Neal just had) he was a complete liability in every other aspect, and only put up those totals due to being played up the lineup. I see Neal providing a similar impact for Edmonton.

Connor will do his best to lug around Neal and might make him look somewhat productive for a year or two but I just cant see the Oilers finding any sort of team success with Neal in that role. Calgary could very well have stapled Neal to the top line but thought better of it as it would do more harm than good and ultimately was willing to move him for a bottom six player that better suits the team needs. That speaks volumes to what he currently provides as an NHL player.

Time will tell how this plays out. Both the teams and the players themselves are very happy to move on from each other.

Key difference: jarome never really looked like he gave up on the ice, while neal never really look like he gave a #### on the ice.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Heavy Jack

Hahahahaha it gets me every time ; right up there with the waffles/Jokinen gif

[AC]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Do you still have a link to that stream of Neal getting the huge ovation for his goal at the 'Dome? In a crappy year for Neal that was a fun moment to watch.

It really shows how far Flames fans went to support and welcome him, and in the end he just didn't have anything to give the team. What a crappy signing.

SNET https://streamable.com/6zava
Sharks https://streamable.com/ud2bh

All Bennett too, great play.

[8sPOT]

Originally Posted by AC

SNET https://streamable.com/6zava
Sharks https://streamable.com/ud2bh

All Bennett too, great play.

Man that rush by Hanifin to start things off too.

[PugnaciousIntern]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Ah so many memories. Bennett, Chucky and Brouwer were on a line together during the preseason where this clip was taken. And their first few games were so productive too. Boy did things change

[Husky]

Lucic is a monster in some of those highlights.