Neal scatched

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

The comments about Neal's dressing-room value and personality are hard to figure out. He seems to be a big personality. Confident. But he also rubs some people the wrong way.

Back before the Flames signed him, I looked up a few articles from his previous cities, and several of them were not complementary. An article from Pittsburgh said "his act wears thin after a while" and suggested the rest of the team weren't sad to see him go. One from Nashville said he was a polarizing personality. Hard to say what happens behind closed doors, but there does seem to be something of a cloud around Neal.

Well at the time Treliving was praising his swagger, arguing that was just what the Flames needed. Some said it was a positive for Vegas last year.

Sounds like the kind of guy you pick up at the deadline vs. signing to a retirement contract.

Disaster.

[CanadaMatt]

Deliberately stayed away from the multiple Neal discussions during the playoffs. What’s really suspicious is the usual dozen (or so) avid James Neal defenders, who have stifled any Neal criticism all season, are somehow absent from this thread (and the many other Neal threads during the playoffs). I imagine my presence will now bring them out of hiding!

Let’s hope his nonsensical contract doesn’t limit our options to improve this team next season.

[Flash Walken]

holy ####, he's back from the dead!

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by CanadaMatt

Deliberately stayed away from the multiple Neal discussions during the playoffs. What’s really suspicious is the usual dozen (or so) avid James Neal defenders, who have stifled any Neal criticism all season, are somehow absent from this thread (and the many other Neal threads during the playoffs). I imagine my presence will now bring them out of hiding!

Let’s hope his nonsensical contract doesn’t limit our options to improve this team next season.

Pretty sure you and I both saw it the same. Never understood the Neal defenders either. I personally saw a terrible terrible player in the preseason, same thing in season and didn’t expect anything different in the playoffs. It was shocking to see so many people who thought he’d flip a switch in the playoffs after the whole Brouwer experience.


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[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Pretty sure you and I both saw it the same. Never understood the Neal defenders either. I personally saw a terrible terrible player in the preseason, same thing in season and didn’t expect anything different in the playoffs. It was shocking to see so many people who thought he’d flip a switch in the playoffs after the whole Brouwer experience.


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You want to blame people for hoping against hope that a player in year one of a 5-year pact isn't completely done in November? We gave it a year, he was the same player in the post-season, and in fact cost us game 4.

James Neal is done, and should be bought out. It makes no difference to our cap savings if we do it now or in one year - it's $1.9M for six years if we do it next year, or eight years if we do it now.

Do it now. I'm not having another 18 months of Neal debates.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Pretty sure you and I both saw it the same. Never understood the Neal defenders either. I personally saw a terrible terrible player in the preseason, same thing in season and didn’t expect anything different in the playoffs. It was shocking to see so many people who thought he’d flip a switch in the playoffs after the whole Brouwer experience.


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You guys can go pat each other on the back...

Guy was great in the playoffs last season, sorry that some of us had hope he didn't forget how to play hockey over the summer

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

You want to blame people for hoping against hope that a player in year one of a 5-year pact isn't completely done in November? We gave it a year, he was the same player in the post-season, and in fact cost us game 4.

James Neal is done, and should be bought out. It makes no difference to our cap savings if we do it now or in one year - it's $1.9M for six years if we do it next year, or eighty years if we do it now.

Do it now. I'm not having another 18 months of Neal debates.

contract is worse than I thought

[Vinny01]

I held out hope he would be a difference in the playoffs. He wasn’t and is an absolute brutal contract that we can’t dump. But him out and we have a $2M penalty for 8 years which is longer than any contract ever signed by the Flames.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I held out hope he would be a difference in the playoffs. He wasn’t and is an absolute brutal contract that we can’t dump. But him out and we have a $2M penalty for 8 years which is longer than any contract ever signed by the Flames.

The cap is going to be north of $80M for all eight of those years. There is a very good chance it will be beyond of $90M by the time the penalty expires.

It's a non-issue. We have to find fringe players for $600K instead of $3M, which is what we should be doing anyway.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by dino7c

You guys can go pat each other on the back...



Guy was great in the playoffs last season, sorry that some of us had hope he didn't forget how to play hockey over the summer

He didn’t forget how to play hockey in the summer, this is James Neal. He’s never been a great skater, he’s always been a prickly player who’s prone to taking bad penalties. He doesn’t typically raise the level of his play in the playoffs either, he just maintains what he does in the regular season.

I also don’t think players ever just take nose dives after a few months. I think he’s just a support player who doesn’t drive play and he lost a great situation with a speedy center like Haula and a creative player like Perron. Jankowski and Bennett were never going to hell him score 20 goals.


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[memphusk]

I'm a big Neal fan. I always have been. After this year and playoffs it just doesn't matter, you find a way to get rid of him.

[CanadaMatt]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Pretty sure you and I both saw it the same. Never understood the Neal defenders either. I personally saw a terrible terrible player in the preseason, same thing in season and didn’t expect anything different in the playoffs. It was shocking to see so many people who thought he’d flip a switch in the playoffs after the whole Brouwer experience.


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I do recall you as a voice of reason.

The positive thing is that I can now retire (burn) the Neal excuse rolodex, which included such gems as: (not an exhaustive list):

- some nonsense about his stick
- some nonsense about how a guy who has had 5 teams, still needs time to settle into a new team (shouldn’t he be an expert at changing teams by now)
- some nonsense about how he’d score if he was on the top line (even though he was after every PK and never looked like scoring)
- some nonsense about how he wasn’t even really trying because he was saving himself for the stretch/playoffs
- some nonsense about how his presence was the important thing, doesn’t matter if he scored or not
- some nonsense about how his shooting percentage couldn’t stay low (even though his shots were all powder puffs)

And then his defenders inventing ‘facts’ such as “the flames went on a losing streak when Neal got injured”...when they actually went in a season high 7 game winning streak...

His performance in game 4 was as despicable of a performance as I’ve seen from anyone in a Flames uniform.

If we want to get rid of Neal, we need to add a second round pick (as least) to sweeten the deal. It’s worth it!

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

He didn’t forget how to play hockey in the summer, this is James Neal. He’s never been a great skater, he’s always been a prickly player who’s prone to taking bad penalties. He doesn’t typically raise the level of his play in the playoffs either, he just maintains what he does in the regular season.

I also don’t think players ever just take nose dives after a few months. I think he’s just a support player who doesn’t drive play and he lost a great situation with a speedy center like Haula and a creative player like Perron. Jankowski and Bennett were never going to hell him score 20 goals.


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Did they steal his heart also?

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CanadaMatt

I do recall you as a voice of reason.

The positive thing is that I can now retire (burn) the Neal excuse rolodex, which included such gems as: (not an exhaustive list):

- some nonsense about his stick
- some nonsense about how a guy who has had 5 teams, still needs time to settle into a new team (shouldn’t he be an expert at changing teams by now)
- some nonsense about how he’d score if he was on the top line (even though he was after every PK and never looked like scoring)
- some nonsense about how he wasn’t even really trying because he was saving himself for the stretch/playoffs
- some nonsense about how his presence was the important thing, doesn’t matter if he scored or not
- some nonsense about how his shooting percentage couldn’t stay low (even though his shots were all powder puffs)

And then his defenders inventing ‘facts’ such as “the flames went on a losing streak when Neal got injured”...when they actually went in a season high 7 game winning streak...

His performance in game 4 was as despicable of a performance as I’ve seen from anyone in a Flames uniform.

If we want to get rid of Neal, we need to add a second round pick (as least) to sweeten the deal. It’s worth it!

[CanadaMatt]

Originally Posted by dino7c

I’m sorry mate. You said Neal wasn’t really trying before the all star break. Do you have an updated estimated date of when he’ll start trying?

[TheOnlyBilko]

Originally Posted by JT96912

I made this argument earlier in the season and many disagreed with me. Back in the day he was very much like a Chucky type player with great linemates. Why Tre brought him in is baffling to me. Nashville wouldn't pay him. Vegas wouldn't pay him. Why did we?

Personally, I never liked the player and I hated the signing. With him arguing with Smith early in the season and having words with Peters now, he appears to be a bad guy to have in the locker room. I honestly think we would of had at least 10 more points during the regular season with a competent player in his spot. I hope he isn't here next season but his value has to be negative at this point. I doubt anyone will want him.

Nashville didn't pay him? Hell they left him UNPROTECTED in the expansion draft when he was 28/29 years old and just played a big role in the Stanley Cup finals team. THAT tells you sumthing right there!!!

[dustygoon]

If BT hadn’t offered the extra year, good chance Neal resigned in Vegas. Leaving less room for Stone to sign there and maybe they don’t offer as high a trade package for him. Perhaps leaving a little higher chance we are able to trade and sign Stone. A bunch of what ifs.

[Yoho]

Wait till you see “off season Neal”

[Badgers Nose]

Neal needs to 'evoluzionize' his game as Cassie would say. LOL

Another over-priced and past prime free agent dead beat joins the Flames buy-out country club. I hate guaranteed contracts.

I respect the team making lemonade out of lemons with all the talk about how good he is in the room, but that's not worth the contract. There are lots of guys that can do that and their primary job.

[cannon7]

If the Flames have to eat half his salary they might as well buy him out. Not sure any team will touch him at $2.5M frankly.

Treliving is getting good at collecting buyouts.