Who knows... ownership may have objected for various reasons. Paying too much for a player is a different sort of pitch to make than paying a guy not to play for you (especially only a year after you made the former type of pitch for said player).
__________________ "The great promise of the Internet was that more information would automatically yield better decisions. The great disappointment is that more information actually yields more possibilities to confirm what you already believed anyway." - Brian Eno
Probably because we just bought out Brouwer and having two buyouts on our cap eats significant space.
Nevermind the optics of buying out a UFA after one down season.
Neal had to go and this was likely the only option.
That being said though, Treliving significantly upped his street-cred among the League.
"Perform well or we send you to Hell."
A real FU to Neal too: Yeah pal, we just took on the worst contract in the league, a total joke, it's the worst plan ever and embarrassing... and it's better than YOU.
Simplifying the wording of the poll options did result in a different voting outcome for me as I chose "Love It" in the previous poll because I feel like Lucic is an upgrade over Neal (as per the "Love It" wording), and I chose"Like It" in this poll, but did so for the same reason: I feel like Lucic is an upgrade over Neal.
When I first saw the news break about the trade I couldn't believe it and my first response was to hate it, but I have since come to like the trade for the following reasons:
the trade saves cap space
the trade saves the team a lot of actual dollars
Lucic has much better possession stats than Neal
Lucic adds a physical dimension the team really needed
Neal was arguably the worst regular on the team last year and trading him instantly improved the team
Lucic actually had more points than Neal did last year. Yes he played in more games, which is actually another positive, but he also had inferior linemates. So not only do I think Lucic did more with less, but I also think there is potential that he does more with better linemates in Calgary. For this reason, I think Lucic is just as likely to bounce back as Neal is, especially when you consider Neal is moving to a worse team
Lucic is genuinely excited to be here and wants to contribute to the team's success. He is saying all the right things and I like that.
Because I can't imagine any scenario where Lucic adds less next year than what Neal did last year, I like this trade and think it improves the Flames
I don't love it because at the end of the day the Flames still have an underperforming veteran on a bad contract.
Why I initially hated the trade and why I think those reasons are not as valid now:
I honestly don't think buying out Neal's contract was an option that Treliving had and so the buyout-proof nature of Lucic's contract is irrelevant. Plus the structure of the Lucic contract actually makes it quite tradable in the last 2 years.
While it is true that Neal could bounce back in Edmonton, and might be a better bounce back candidate compared to Lucic, I don't think that would have happened for him if he was still a Flame. He just didn't find chemistry with any of his linemates and it became clear that Peters didn't trust him either. So Neal may bounce back (although I personally struggle to see that happening to any meaningful extent), but even if he does, I think Lucic next year will benefit the Flames more than what Neal did last year, and probably more than what Neal would have done if he were still on the team next year. So in that context it's a net positive for the Flames.
If Lucic comes in as a motivated, hard-hitting, and hardworking bottom six guy, he will quickly become a favorite among teammates and fans alike!
Last edited by Brad Marsh; 07-27-2019 at 02:17 PM.
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Iike it because I think Lucic is a better fit for the Flames than Neal was. Also Lucic is a better fit on the Flames than he was on the Oilers.
Lucic is not a top 6 player anymore. He doesn't have the speed to be top 6 in today's NHL. He hustles hard though, and he hits hard and he hits lots. He brings an element that the Flames need.
Neal just didn't fit on the Flames. Maybe he will find an extra step and score 20 goals again in Edmonton, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn. He didn't work in Calgary and we get a fresh start with somebody other than Neal.
I'm not expecting Lucic to come in and find his offensive game again. I expect he can reach 10 goals and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets up to 15 but anything over 10 is a bonus. In my opinion he's here for his physical game.
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I hate it as this was just a bad deal for the Flames. I'm of the belief Lucic will be in the pressbox a lot over his time with the Flames while Neal will be serviceable for the Oilers and probably have a nice bounce back season next year.
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Dislike it. But thay doesnt mean I dont think Lucic is a better fit overall for this roster. I think the one thing that stands out to me if that this team really didnt Neal to score all that much. We had that covered. What I do think Lucic brings is a reduction in the sheer volume of hacks and slashes the top fws take over the course of a season. Lucic can still swallow a soul and is a dude bro. So that's a net gain IMO. Meaning more points from the more important players. The deterrent hasn't been around since Engelland or Big Ern were on the team. Brouwer WAS supposed to fill that role and failed. Neal was under the impression he was here to pot points and failed.
Lucic has no illusion what his role will be here. Be no worse than Neal and hold teams accountable for their actions.
Also may take some of the heat off Bennett and Chucky.
I put indifferent because it does feel like one problem contract swapped for another. However Neal has more upside, but seemed indifferent last year. Lucic probably brings more grit but likely is always going to be a slow tank (who might actually thrive in the playoffs).
I didn't vote in the first poll, but picked "dislike" in this one.
This was not a good trade because both the players involved are expensive and have dramatically underperformed. It's impossible to get around that. However, I understand this trade, and I think the net result will be a better overall team for this season. It boils down to having an expensive player who will never live up to the value of his deal, but with Lucic there is at least some surety that his place on the roster will be less detrimental—Neal was bad on the third/fourth line, and he was not nearly good enough to play in the top six. Lucic at least looks somewhat more functional. Moreover, I think there is enough evidence surrounding the deal and the timing of it to show that the Flames were highly motivated to move Neal; so much so that the cost was deemed an acceptable risk. That in itself is pretty telling.
I also think that while Neal will likely out-produce Lucic next year, this deal will probably not be as beneficial to the Oilers as much as it will be to the Flames. Edmonton will still be awful, while Calgary could see a tangible benefit from having a guy like Lucic patrolling the bottom six.
So, in the end, it was a bad deal; it was one that likely had to be made; it was probably the best deal the Flames could have made; it probably won't hurt them for the next season where it matters most right now, which is on the ice.
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Originally Posted by woob
"...harem warfare? like all your wives dressup and go paintballing?"
Only on Calgary puck can you find a group of people that like a trade that is universally panned outside of Calgary and it’s butter soft media.
No one outside of the Calgary fan base has watched James Neal’s last 67 games of “NHL hockey”. The 67 games where he bitched about not getting to play in the top 6, despite being an absolute anchor on the line (w/Bennett & Jankowski) he was on.
James Neal sucks, detracted from this team’s culture, and we couldn’t afford to pay him 5.75M. The Oilers have now committed to paying him 6.5M, essentially.
Love fans that think that because they watched more of the games that they have a more valid opinion.
Has nothing to do with it being a valid opinion or not. But stat watchers don't get the full picture of just how bad Neal was. People on Reddit and HF, for example, seem to think he's just slow but still had an awesome shot. They don't understand that Neal couldn't even keep the puck on his stick long enough to get a shot off, the odd time he made himself open to even receive a pass.
