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Monday the Calgary Flames signed goal scoring winger James Neal to a five-year contract worth $5.75 million annually.
I have some thoughts:
1) I'm normally against handing out long-term contracts to players on the wrong side of 30 but I think this is a case where an exception had to be made.
In 2017-18, the Flames finished 27th in 5v5 goals. The only teams to score fewer were Arizona, Vancouver, Montreal and Buffalo. Not exactly good company to be keeping.
If you look at overall goals, well, things are no better as the Flames again ranked 27th. They desperately needed to add a quality goal scorer and Neal is just that.
Over the last three seasons, only eight players have scored more goals at 5v5 than Neal. He found twine more often than the likes of John Tavares, Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Phil Kessel and Sean Monahan to name but a few.
All Neal does is score goals – he has potted at least 20 in 10 consecutive seasons – and should be able to do so consistently for at least a few more seasons.
2) Neal adds another needed threat to the power play. Admittedly, he generally isn't a high-end producer in those situations but, given his shot, he's someone who commands respect. He should be able to open things up for others. I'm also willing to bet high-end playmakers like Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk will be able to find him in good spots and put that shot to use. He'll help what was a disaster of a power play in 2017-18.
3) Neal's presence gives Bill Peters a lot of options and flexibility. If the Flames are at home and want to spoon feed the skill guys offensive zone starts in favorable situations, Peters can play Neal alongside Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau on the top unit. If they're on the road, Neal can play with Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk to a) insulate him defensively and; b) keep a high-end scorer away from top competition. Heck, maybe in certain matchups Peters will want to balance the lineup and keep his three best goal scorers (Monahan, Tkachuk, and Neal) on separate lines. There are lots of options.
4) An underrated skill is drawing penalties. Neal happens to be quite good at it. Over the last two seasons he has drawn 19 more than he's taken. With an average power play that likely equates to three or four extra goals just off that one skill. During the same two-year window, Johnny Gaudreau (+62!!!) and Matthew Tkachuk (+27) have also done an extremely good job of getting the Flames extra power play opportunities. Suddenly they have three of the best in that regard.
5) Maybe playoff experience is overrated. Maybe it's not. Either way, it has to be at least a small benefit and Neal has appeared in 100 playoff games. It can't hurt to have him around Monahan, Gaudreau, Tkachuk, Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and some of the other young guys with little to no playoff experience.
6) Is Neal going to be worth the money at the end of the contract? Probably not. But that doesn't mean he still can't be a useful player. Foot speed has never been his strong suit and he's clearly still effective. As long as the shot is still there, he'll be able to score some goals – which is what the Flames are paying him for. I believe he's also a BioSteel guy who trains with Gary Roberts in the summer and keeps himself in excellent shape so perhaps that will help him age a little more graciously.
Recent posts:
Flames sign James Neal
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On the blockbuster trade between the Flames and Hurricanes
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Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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