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The Real Deal James Neal will be taking his high octane wrist shot and his below average on ice ethics to the Nashville Predators. In return the Penguins will receive Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling.
James Neal was one of the most tradable commodities that the Penguins possessed and they decided to pull the trigger on a deal.
There was certainly no lack of interest in James Neal which makes the trade at least a little bit puzzling.
Considering that there were no draft picks involved I question the urgency in completing this trade. The Penguins certainly did not have to trade James Neal. There is a big difference between having to move a guy and wanting to move a guy. I think the Penguins could have taken some more time considering the 15 team interest.
In a nutshell the Penguins traded for a pretty good player in Hornqvist and a below average bottom 6 player in Spaling who will make around the same as Neal combined, slightly more. This did not save the Penguins any money. This was a "hockey trade".
Let's take a look at both players the Penguins will be acquiring
I will start with Patric Hornqvist. Here is a guy who saw some of the tougher competition amongst the Nashville forward ranks and still was able to pull some positive possession. There is no doubt that Hornqvist is a more well rounded player and obviously comes with way more discipline than Neal. If you are looking for a positive it is that Hornqvist has always been able to produce offense while being on a team that has never been known for the ability to produce offense.
Hornqvist's scoring rates are lower than Neal's but he has yet to play with the beast that is Evgeni Malkin. In the lockout shortened season Hornqvist was limited to 24 games and saw his goals per game dip. Last year he saw his highest points per game of his career and his goals per game climbed. He like Neal will see an offensive bump by playing with Crosby or Malkin.
Hornqvist is signed for another 4 years at a respectable 4.25M.
Here is where the trade lost me. Nick Spaling isn't exactly what I would consider a quality throw-in to the deal. He did have 13 goals and 33 points last year but he was also not very good in the possession department and has not been for a while. The Penguins bottom 6 was a possession black hole last year and it cost them their season. I can't say I'm thrilled to add another piece that struggled in that area of his game.
My question is, if the Nashville Predators had two 2nd round picks, why couldn't the Penguins pry one of those away instead of Nick Spaling? if the Predators wouldn't comply with that why couldn't the Penguins hold off on this deal until after the draft? Unless the Penguins acquired him to just let him walk (which I doubt) this move will eat up valuable cap space on a player who really hasn't improved their bottom 6 problems. I would rather have allocated that money to keep Marcel Goc.
Spaling is able to play all 3 positions. He is an RFA and will have to be qualified at a minimum of 1.5M. He will likely make more than that.
Patric Hornqvist is going to be a very good fit for the Penguins, he is a good player. He thrives in the area by the goal crease, he is able to drive possession, and he has a proven goal scoring touch. He only makes 4.25M and to me that sounds like a good addition to the Penguins top 6. Neal's possession numbers went from negative in his last year in Dallas to excellent alongside Malkin. Hornqvist has had quality possession for years and playing in the Penguins top 6 is not going to negatively impact that.
We all knew James Neal's time with the Penguins was running out after the playoff run ended with Mario Lemieux's comments about character. They seemed to be personalized in calling out Neal. Neal can score goals, he scored when he was in Dallas, he took it to the next level while playing with Malkin, and he will continue to score goals in Nashville.
Neal was a dirty player who apparently was not the best presence in the locker room. His goal scoring abilities will be missed, his personality will not be.
Neal for Hornqvist is not as lopsided as it appears on the surface, in fact I don't mind that part of it at all. I would rather the Penguins have made the deal straight up for each player than to take on Nick Spaling as part of it.
Here is Jim Rutherford being interviewed on the draft room floor
The Penguins got what they needed out of round 1 at the draft. They pick up Kasperi Kapenen with the #22 overall pick. Kapenen was a highly rated forward who slid to them. This is not unlike another highly rated Finnish player who slid down to the Penguins at #22 overall (Maatta). I'll have more about the draft after it is completed.
By the sounds of things the Penguins aren't done making moves, they were very active in discussions with some of the other draft tables last night even after making their selection.
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Hockey Hurts Podcast was recorded last night that covers the James Neal trade as well as the move Anaheim made to acquire Ryan Kesler. Also some draft talk mixed in. You can find the podcast
here
Thanks for reading!
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