redfire11 Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 2009-2010 Dallas Stars NHL 78 27 28 55 64 | 2010-2011 Dallas Stars NHL 59 21 18 39 60 | Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 20 1 5 6 6 | Playoffs 7 1 1 2 6 Canada WC 6 2 3 5 10 | 2011-2012 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 80 40 41 81 87 | Playoffs 5 2 4 6 12 2012-2013 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 40 21 15 36 26 | Playoffs 13 6 4 10 8 2013-2014 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 59 27 34 61 55 | Playoffs 13 2 2 4 24 2014-2015 Nashville Predators NHL 67 23 14 37 57 | Playoffs 6 4 1 5 8 2015-2016 Nashville Predators NHL 82 31 27 58 65 | Playoffs 14 4 4 8 8 2016-2017 Nashville Predators NHL 70 23 18 41 35 | Playoffs 22 6 3 9 14 2017-2018 Vegas Golden Knights NHL 71 25 19 44 24 | Playoffs 20 6 5 11 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire11 Posted October 25, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 I am hoping Neal gets back to form. I find thus far with Calgary his play is slow. I am encouraged by his mentoring and positive attitude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix66 Posted October 25, 2018 Report Share Posted October 25, 2018 I for one am not too concerned yet . We went through year after year of Slow-start-Iggy .. only to see him get 40 goals If the top line was struggling I'd be questioning why a sniper isnt there with them, but truth is anybody will score from that line. James neal gets paid to score, he should be able to do it from anywhere . I'm perfectly ok leaving him with Bennett and letting those 2 figure it out . I WOULD however like to see him more involved on the Powerplay. he got out of the gate quicker in Vegas,(7 goals October, 5 November) but in 16-17 he had one goal in October (scored Oct 29) then 9 goals in November ... year before? 7 then 2. He's Streaky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 I, for one, am pretty happy with Neal's play and our record. You can stare at stats all day long and wonder what's wrong. I'm going to go with nothing. The only stat I need is our record. And knowing full well a player like Neal isn't going to let this drought go on much longer. He's going to get one soon, and that'll be the pinprick for him. He's a dangerous scorer, and that's going to be apparent in the back half. Every good team gets an injection when they need it. He knows how to play a full season and knows when it matters most. The Dr. is coming soon. Keep the faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travel_dude Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 3 hours ago, conundrumed said: I, for one, am pretty happy with Neal's play and our record. You can stare at stats all day long and wonder what's wrong. I'm going to go with nothing. The only stat I need is our record. And knowing full well a player like Neal isn't going to let this drought go on much longer. He's going to get one soon, and that'll be the pinprick for him. He's a dangerous scorer, and that's going to be apparent in the back half. Every good team gets an injection when they need it. He knows how to play a full season and knows when it matters most. The Dr. is coming soon. Keep the faith. I tend to think it's not him as much as the lines. He doesn;t fit with every player in the world, and certainly not on this team. You can see that with the lack of scoring on the the 2nd PP unit. He's rarely getting the puck in a scoring situation, as the unit struggles most nights to gain and maintain a zone presence. Not that you play him on the top unit when they are killing it, but maybe look at who's not scoring on the 2nd unit. Ryan wins O-zone faceoffs, while Backlund tends to win more in the D-zone. Hanifin is a skater and tends to have some trouble keeping it in, much like Brodie. Not much of a threat if you don;t win the faceoff or hold the line. Neal will be fine. It's frustrating for me to read and hear all the angst from fans about his lack of scoring. He'll be fine soon enough. Feed him the goal juice and they will come. 2nd half? Absolutely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC331 Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 On 2018-10-25 at 9:14 AM, phoenix66 said: I for one am not too concerned yet . We went through year after year of Slow-start-Iggy .. only to see him get 40 goals If the top line was struggling I'd be questioning why a sniper isnt there with them, but truth is anybody will score from that line. James neal gets paid to score, he should be able to do it from anywhere . I'm perfectly ok leaving him with Bennett and letting those 2 figure it out . I WOULD however like to see him more involved on the Powerplay. he got out of the gate quicker in Vegas,(7 goals October, 5 November) but in 16-17 he had one goal in October (scored Oct 29) then 9 goals in November ... year before? 7 then 2. He's Streaky I don't agree with your comment " he should able to do it from anywhere". We talk about the importance of line and pairings chemistry all the time and I haven't seen much of anything happening with the lines assembled with him. The true playmakers on this team are Gaudreau and Tkachuk so I would be having Neal play on a line with one or the other. What else needs to be considered around this question ? We know Tkachuk needs some speed and defense with him . BP has been utilizing Backlund in this capacity but IMO it isn't working that well. BP puts Bennett on RW partly due to Neal not clicking there and to reward Bennett for is good early play and this has not been working either. I seriously think you put Neal with Gaudreau and Monahan and let them all get their points. The fix for the middle 6 is to better utilize Backlund, Bennett and Lindholm. Gaudreau, Monahan, Neal ( I want to say we should be fine for speed because Monahan is skating well and Neal isn't a plug ) Tkachuk, Bennett, Lindholm ( all the speed Tkachuk needs around him, all good board workers and all can defend and score or should ) If Bennett can't score with these two e isn't ever going to score LOL Frolik, Backlund, Ryan ( all experienced/responsible players that should be able to adjust positions in Frolik and Ryan, strong in faceoff and checking ability ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowtownguy Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 3 minutes ago, MAC331 said: I don't agree with your comment " he should able to do it from anywhere". We talk about the importance of line and pairings chemistry all the time and I haven't seen much of anything happening with the lines assembled with him. The true playmakers on this team are Gaudreau and Tkachuk so I would be having Neal play on a line with one or the other. What else needs to be considered around this question ? We know Tkachuk needs some speed and defense with him . BP has been utilizing Backlund in this capacity but IMO it isn't working that well. BP puts Bennett on RW partly due to Neal not clicking there and to reward Bennett for is good early play and this has not been working either. I seriously think you put Neal with Gaudreau and Monahan and let them all get their points. The fix for the middle 6 is to better utilize Backlund, Bennett and Lindholm. Gaudreau, Monahan, Neal ( I want to say we should be fine for speed because Monahan is skating well and Neal isn't a plug ) Tkachuk, Bennett, Lindholm ( all the speed Tkachuk needs around him, all good board workers and all can defend and score or should ) If Bennett can't score with these two e isn't ever going to score LOL Frolik, Backlund, Ryan ( all experienced/responsible players that should be able to adjust positions in Frolik and Ryan, strong in faceoff and checking ability ) I assumed that Neal would be on the top line when we acquired him. Lindholm has worked out so well, however, Neal seems a bit of an afterthought. It seems to me that our "afterthought" players struggle a lot. So, I hope that when Peters does some line juggling, Neal gets put into a situation to succeed. Assuming that we are in a playoff position late in the year, I suspect that he will contribute more around his average. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC331 Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 15 minutes ago, Cowtownguy said: I assumed that Neal would be on the top line when we acquired him. Lindholm has worked out so well, however, Neal seems a bit of an afterthought. It seems to me that our "afterthought" players struggle a lot. So, I hope that when Peters does some line juggling, Neal gets put into a situation to succeed. Assuming that we are in a playoff position late in the year, I suspect that he will contribute more around his average. I think BP is the type of Coach that will figure it out as he himself grows with the team and he doesn't seem afraid to mix it up. This may seem outlandish but I think Lindholm may be our best all round forward and you could play him anywhere with success. Also we are seeing Bennett getting it figured out as he plays with better players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted December 24, 2018 Report Share Posted December 24, 2018 8 hours ago, conundrumed said: I, for one, am pretty happy with Neal's play and our record. You can stare at stats all day long and wonder what's wrong. I'm going to go with nothing. The only stat I need is our record. And knowing full well a player like Neal isn't going to let this drought go on much longer. He's going to get one soon, and that'll be the pinprick for him. He's a dangerous scorer, and that's going to be apparent in the back half. Every good team gets an injection when they need it. He knows how to play a full season and knows when it matters most. The Dr. is coming soon. Keep the faith. I really like Neal. I just don't like the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickross Posted December 26, 2018 Report Share Posted December 26, 2018 The price could’ve been higher for Neal tbh. He’s making about $1Mill more than Frolik, Brodie are right now...it’s still digestible a price even tho Neal’s play has been far from appetizeing. We all assumed he’d be a 1st liner because he didn’t really fit into any other line. Neal needs a setup man, Gaudreau and Tkachuk are our best passers/playmakers so he almost needs to play in the top 2 lines. Maybe he starts clicking with Bennett and Janko, if not he’s a major bust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 On 2018-12-24 at 5:47 PM, The_People1 said: I really like Neal. I just don't like the price. I don’t mind the price, the term leaves a lot to be desired. But if the term came down, the $$ would go up. Tough signing. I definitely see Neal’s value though. Easy to see he doesn’t mince words when he’s annoyed. Needed an element of emotion and frankness to close the leadership loop. I believe he’s the guy. Not if, but when he starts burying some chances, it’s going to be inflating the tires even more. We might just get to the playoffs with a lot of confidence and know-how. Albeit long way to go yet. Exciting times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 I get it because of Brouwer, but I have to agree that I don't think Neal has played near as bad as most think. Has he played to his contract, of course not but I do think he is adding something to this team. He's going through a horrible stretch right now and probably should have another 3-4 goals and if he did I don't think we'd be complaining. It'l come. he'll never be worth his contract but he'll be a useful player I think. I think the immediate thing he could do to help his game is bring that snarl/nastiness he was known for. Goal scoring is one thing, but there are times he's not even taking the body hard which was obviously a big selling feature to bringing him in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robrob74 Posted December 27, 2018 Report Share Posted December 27, 2018 6 hours ago, cross16 said: I get it because of Brouwer, but I have to agree that I don't think Neal has played near as bad as most think. Has he played to his contract, of course not but I do think he is adding something to this team. He's going through a horrible stretch right now and probably should have another 3-4 goals and if he did I don't think we'd be complaining. It'l come. he'll never be worth his contract but he'll be a useful player I think. I think the immediate thing he could do to help his game is bring that snarl/nastiness he was known for. Goal scoring is one thing, but there are times he's not even taking the body hard which was obviously a big selling feature to bringing him in. He could be holding back as soon he team is doing well. There isn’t a need to get on it. My hope is that He’s a vet that knows what it takes and will turn it on when it counts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC331 Posted December 28, 2018 Report Share Posted December 28, 2018 19 hours ago, robrob74 said: He could be holding back as soon he team is doing well. There isn’t a need to get on it. My hope is that He’s a vet that knows what it takes and will turn it on when it counts. I hardly think Neal is purposely holding back. BP needs to get this figured out and he hasn't to date. It isn't just Neal suffering from the lack of chemistry from or middle 6. I understand not changing the top line of Gaudreau, Monahan and Lindholm, it is now one of the most productive in the NHL. I would be trying to get another scoring line established with Tkachuk, Bennett and Neal. Bennett may or may not be the answer at C but it is time to find out. I have seen enough of Backlund here to know he can be put to better use. We know Neal needs to play with a playmaker and Tkachuk is the next best after Gaudreau so get them together. Let Bennett be the distraction and maybe he even benefits by playing with these two. I would like to see a line of Quine, Backlund and Frolik go to work as our prime checking line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfire11 Posted February 1, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 Jan 31st James Neal (31yo) 5 G + 7 A = 12P -10 109 shots 31 hits $5,750,000 for 5 more years Milan Lucic (30yo) 5G + 7A = 12P -9 50 shots 173 hits $6,000,000 for 5 more years I no longer have the right to laugh at the Lucic contract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flames-fan-in-jets-land Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, redfire11 said: Jan 31st James Neal (31yo) 5 G + 7 A = 12P -10 109 shots 31 hits $5,750,000 for 5 more years Milan Lucic (30yo) 5G + 7A = 12P -9 50 shots 173 hits $6,000,000 for 5 more years I no longer have the right to laugh at the Lucic contract. Sure you do. Oilers are how many seasons deep into that contract? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 12 hours ago, cross16 said: He needs to start scoring. This is his time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cross16 Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 14 hours ago, redfire11 said: Jan 31st James Neal (31yo) 5 G + 7 A = 12P -10 109 shots 31 hits $5,750,000 for 5 more years Milan Lucic (30yo) 5G + 7A = 12P -9 50 shots 173 hits $6,000,000 for 5 more years I no longer have the right to laugh at the Lucic contract. One of these things is not like the other...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouCifer Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 17 hours ago, cross16 said: Thanks for sharing Cross. I have to say I like everything he said in the article. His mind is in the right space and everything else will catch up. Go flames! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 Hopefully guys like Neal, Bennett and Smith equal "adds" simply by being more productive. I'm not very interested in adding outside help atm, particularly if at the cost of picks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 18 hours ago, redfire11 said: Jan 31st James Neal (31yo) 5 G + 7 A = 12P -10 109 shots 31 hits $5,750,000 for 5 more years Milan Lucic (30yo) 5G + 7A = 12P -9 50 shots 173 hits $6,000,000 for 5 more years I no longer have the right to laugh at the Lucic contract. Man, considering the Flames are +45 as a team and James Neal is -10... Like, how? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 11 minutes ago, The_People1 said: Man, considering the Flames are +45 as a team and James Neal is -10... Like, how? By being on the ice for 10 more goals against than for. Damn peeps, I thought you knew this stuff? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_People1 Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, conundrumed said: By being on the ice for 10 more goals against than for. Damn peeps, I thought you knew this stuff? I'm not a math surgeon but it seems very hard to hit -10 on a team that's +45 overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
conundrumed Posted February 1, 2019 Report Share Posted February 1, 2019 6 minutes ago, The_People1 said: I'm not a math surgeon but it seems very hard to hit -10 on a team that's +45 overall. Why do I get the feeling that you bought a Neal jersey just to put over the body pillow that your dog humps day and night? I do that with a McDavid jersey I had to buy for losing a bet, just to reference. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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