Ongoing thread for Neal/Lucic discussion

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by dino7c

If there are compliance buyouts (which I think is likely) I bet neither of these guys ever play for the Flames/Oilers again

All this debate for nothing lol

They won't roll back the salary cap for at least 2 years till everything is fully played out. So you wouldn't see a buyout till then if at all. I think the players would rather pay escrow in hopes everything is back to normal sometime next season than roll salaries back, everything go back to normal, than be underpaid.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Weitz

They won't roll back the salary cap for at least 2 years till everything is fully played out. So you wouldn't see a buyout till then if at all. I think the players would rather pay escrow in hopes everything is back to normal sometime next season than roll salaries back, everything go back to normal, than be underpaid.

Thanks Kreskin

[Vinny01]

There is no doubt that Lucic was a far better player this season than Neal was last season. Both players came in with vastly different expectations with people expecting Lucic to be a bottom 6 winger when Neal was thought of as a 30 goal first line, first PP type signing.

With so many teams tight to or over the cap next year I would t be shocked if the league grants each team a Covid buyout to rid themselves of one bad contract. If so both players will likely be a causality. Having said that I am not sure how many owners are looking to spend that much more money considering the millions already lost.

[DoubleK]

This needs a bump after Looch's rampage through Smashville last night.

[Vinny01]

Lucic got off to a terrific start this year but has been pretty awful for the last 50 or so games. Last night against the Predators it was like a a beast was awoken.

I was confident that Lucic was going to be a factor come playoff time and he basically confirmed that with the last game.

Lucic, Lewis, Coleman, Toffoli are going to be critical veterans come playoff time and it looks like Looch is fully engaged and ready to roll

[Johnny Makarov]

50 games?? lol. Maybe 15. If he was awful for 50 games Sutter wouldn't be putting him out there.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

If he was awful for 50 games Sutter wouldn't be putting him out there.

And yet that happened.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

50 games?? lol. Maybe 15. If he was awful for 50 games Sutter wouldn't be putting him out there.

Lucic should have been scratched a few times this season in my opinion. Offense completely dried up, plays were dying on his stick, no impact on the ice for the entire second half of the season. Closer to 50 games than 15

[Erick Estrada]

He fell off a cliff after December and has been the worst regular in the lineup since then. It's not clear if it's due to decline, nagging issues, or needing to be rested. That said games like last night is why Darryl has kept playing him as that's the player you want in the playoffs so I hope he's got plenty more gas in the tank.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Lucic should have been scratched a few times this season in my opinion. Offense completely dried up, plays were dying on his stick, no impact on the ice for the entire second half of the season. Closer to 50 games than 15

I think its more that Monahan is gone & Dube is playing well, so Lucic became the natural whipping boy.
This team has had virtually no glaring weak spots so people needed someone.

[Yrebmi]

oh man! I want to change my vote
I feel shame

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Lucic got off to a terrific start this year but has been pretty awful for the last 50 or so games. Last night against the Predators it was like a a beast was awoken.

I was confident that Lucic was going to be a factor come playoff time and he basically confirmed that with the last game.

Lucic, Lewis, Coleman, Toffoli are going to be critical veterans come playoff time and it looks like Looch is fully engaged and ready to roll

I agree. He's not been great in the last while now. But all will definitely be forgiven if he can play like he did last night in the playoffs. Guy was a man on a mission last night.

[GioforPM]

Lucic got 10 goals last year in less games, but mainly 3rd line, with better players (he did get Monahan for a while this year but only after Monahan fell off his own cliff). He’s at 10 this year, and that was all obtained with better players as well. Now he’s been put on the 4th line and been asked to play a 4th line role, which he did last night to perfection.

Look, he’s at best the 11th best forward on the team, lower when Ruzicka plays. He’s got some bad habits (my pet peeve is the shift lengths). But he’s accepted his role and if he’s a difference maker in the POs, great.

ETA: 11th not 7th - fixed.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Lucic got 10 goals last year in less games, but mainly 3rd line, with better players (he did get Monahan for a while this year but only after Monahan fell off his own cliff). He’s at 10 this year, and that was all obtained with better players as well. Now he’s been put on the 4th line and been asked to play a 4th line role, which he did last night to perfection.

Look, he’s at best the 7th best forward on the team, lower when Ruzicka plays. He’s got some bad habits (my pet peeve is the shift lengths). But he’s accepted his role and if he’s a difference maker in the POs, great.

Agree with your post.

But by 7th, you meant 11th, right?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Agree with your post.

But by 7th, you meant 11th, right?

Yes. Best player on the 4th line.

I was told there’d be no math.

[TheScorpion]

Gaudreau
Tkachuk
Lindholm
Mangiapane
Coleman
Toffoli
Backlund
Dube
Jarnkrok

I would probably put Lucic and Monahan at roughly the same level when they've both been in the lineup this year. But all those guys have been pretty consistently more effective. Ruzicka is somewhere in there, too.

[Matata]

TIL James Neal appears to be out of the NHL with 4 points in 19 games with the Blues. Surprisingly, he's not going softly into that good night and has 26 pts in 28 games. At least he still has the Oilers paying him $2M/year until 2025.


I only voted for 2nd dumbest option, got too caught up with Lucic bashing when he played for the oilers.

[D as in David]

Loved the trade then and love it now. However, it easily could have gone bad but those are the chances you take and it was a calculated risk in my mind.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

I think its more that Monahan is gone & Dube is playing well, so Lucic became the natural whipping boy.
This team has had virtually no glaring weak spots so people needed someone.

I don’t really think Lucic has been treated like a whipping boy this season at all?

Scrolling through Twitter the past few games it seems Scorp may be starting to paint Toffoli as the next whipping boy

[calculoso]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1519141301832232960