Ongoing thread for Neal/Lucic discussion

[1991 Canadian]

Originally Posted by mikeecho

... at the expense of Alex Chiasson who just saw his 22 goal season last year drop to 10 (likely less) as the Oilers give Neal every chance to play with McDavid and Draisaitl to give their fans a moral victory.

It’s why I love the 3rd round condition that Treliving added to the trade. I’m not necessarily sold on Lucic being a better fit in the Flames bottom 6 than Neal, but I am sold on the Oilers unintentionally tanking their top lines effectiveness.

The Oilers brass are going to keep Neal in the top 6 for as long as possible. The value of a 3rd round pick is not much for either team. But having a “We’re more than content to send Calgary a 3rd round pick. Neal has been a great fit on our top line. He’s scored 23 goals while Lucic only scored 10 for Calgary. ” PR win has a lot of value for a franchise taken its lumps recently.

Although they are not perfect fits either, Kassian and Chaisson can at least keep up with the Oilers young forwards. Neal made Tkachuk and Monahan look like Lombardi out there.

[TheScorpion]

It's important to remember that, regardless of who it is, the Flames are essentially locked into a ~$5 million-per-year committment to some player. That was a mistake initiated last summer, but it is now a relatively pointless consideration.

The fact that Lucic makes $5.25 million should not be an issue; we must consider whether he gives the Flames more mileage for that dollar value than Neal.

Personally, I think I'd rather spend, say, $2 million on Lucic than Neal. If the two players were UFA today and Treliving was forced to choose between them, with their production last season considered in a vacuum, I think he'd go with Lucic. I know I would.

[Hey Connor, It's Mess]

Originally Posted by stang

Same with Lucic. And even as a tough guy, he was frustrating. None of his hits impacted the game much. He dropped the gloves twice. Mcdavid still got slashed and hooked. He took stupid penalty’s.

I see Neal as RNH winger. I don’t personally see him with Mcdavid a ton. Unless mcdavid blows by everyone circles the net and can catch Neal who is just getting to the slot, I don’t think they play much 5v5 together.

Is Nuge's line not used as a two-way, shutdown line against the opposition's better players? There's no way Neal could survive on a line like that.
It'll take a month before Neal is floating around on the bottom two lines just like in Calgary.

[Vinny01]

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/edmonton...ont-get-it/amp

Staples literally wrote an article quoting what the morning show on 960 had to say about this trade. Milk it while you can Oil fans

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Not only that, but on the defensive side, when you see the videos from the playoffs of James Neal buzzing the tower, arriving late for a good view of a goal, and then on the OT winner in game 4. gliding back without even putting his stick in the passing lane, you wonder how this guy made it to the finals. Playoff games are tight, and if are in what could be a 1 goal game, you can’t afford for a guy who basically doesn’t bother to do his job.

It’s arguably even worse than being short handed, because when you are short handed, the team plays an appropriate structure.

I am even more glad to see Neal out than I originally thought I would be

Last offseason McPhee said he was looking at getting more defensively reliable players to make up his 2nd line because he wasn't happy with their defensive performance the year before.

Neal-Haula-Perron was their 2nd line that season.

When I heard hm say that I figured it was a comment mainly aimed at Neal.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/edmonton...ont-get-it/amp

Staples literally wrote an article quoting what the morning show on 960 had to say about this trade. Milk it while you can Oil fans

He just loves to write bad about Calgary. Whether it's the trade, the tentative arena deal, ... heck, even building on a floodplain. He's only a "blogger", but he always introduces himself as "Staples, of the Edmonton Journal". What a maroon.

[Bingo]

So a quick conversation on a poll question. I honestly want to avoid crafting it to steer it one way or the other.

Could be as easy as ...

Who one the trade?
Calgary
Edmonton
No one

Or

What do you think of the trade?

Like it, cap reduction and a better suited player
Hate it, better goal scorer going to Edmonton
Indifferent, both teams getting a failed project

Other ideas?

[TheScorpion]

My poll options would be

- Love it, think Lucic will be an upgrade
- Like it, clears cap space even if Lucic is meh
- Indifferent, both teams getting a failed project
- Dislike it, think Flames should've given Neal another chance
- Hate everything about it, think Neal will be much better in Edmonton

[Deegee]

Scorpion has nailed it.

[Heavy Jack]

I’d vote like it at this point

[agulati]

Honestly I would have preferred giving Neal another chance, but I don't necessarily hate this move.

[Robbob]

There should also be an option for:
Not even Neal can save the Oilers. Nothing can save the Oilers.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by agulati

Honestly I would have preferred giving Neal another chance, but I don't necessarily hate this move.

My hopes were he could be flipped for Turris but obviously that was not available to Treliving as I am sure he would have pulled the trigger on that move.

I was ready to give Neal another shot but where would he play? It was just a bad fit once Lindholm deservedly took the top line spot.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Robbob

There should also be an option for:
Not even Neal can save the Oilers. Nothing can save the Oilers.

Even despite the wording of the last option, that's actually just true for all options.

Just generally implied, really.

[the-rasta-masta]

Another Option: Trust in the process

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Bingo

So a quick conversation on a poll question. I honestly want to avoid crafting it to steer it one way or the other...

I like Scorpion's list of options, but would also like top add that we should stay away from declaring a "winner" in this deal. This is not a trade that either team can win: the Oilers may get the better player, but are so bad and so tragically flawed that it will make no perceivable difference to them. The Flames may end up with a less productive player, but the team is already good enough that Lucic's impact on the ice will most likely be muted.

[Larry David]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

My poll options would be

- Love it, think Lucic will be an upgrade
- Like it, clears cap space even if Lucic is meh
- Indifferent, both teams getting a failed project
- Dislike it, think Flames should've given Neal another chance
- Hate everything about it, think Neal will be much better in Edmonton

These are all fine, but I think Lucic's contract with his NMC (worry with having to protect him for the expansion draft; inability to bury his salary in the minors) and the fact that it is bonus laden buyout proof should be another reason to dislike this deal.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Bingo

So a quick conversation on a poll question. I honestly want to avoid crafting it to steer it one way or the other.

Could be as easy as ...

Who one the trade?
Calgary
Edmonton
No one

Or

What do you think of the trade?

Like it, cap reduction and a better suited player
Hate it, better goal scorer going to Edmonton
Indifferent, both teams getting a failed project

Other ideas?

The Oilers definitely one the trade.

[Redrum]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Even despite the wording of the last option, that's actually just true for all options.

Just generally implied, really.

Right, a different category all together. Kind of hard to have a poll on something that's a fact.

[I_H8_Crawford]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

My poll options would be

- Love it, think Lucic will be an upgrade
- Like it, clears cap space even if Lucic is meh
- Indifferent, both teams getting a failed project
- Dislike it, think Flames should've given Neal another chance
- Hate everything about it, think Neal will be much better in Edmonton

What about hate it, Flames should have got more for taking on the Lucic contract

That's why I hate it, nothing to do with Neal