Gotta give Holland some early credit on this one. We get a more likely bounceback candidate whose contract is miles easier to be rid of (whether by trade or buyout) for the price of 0.5mil more in current cap hit and a pick that only comes to fruition if Neal proves to be a fit.

Pretty much a no-lose! Props to him

Gotta give Holland some early credit on this one. We get a more likely bounceback candidate whose contract is miles easier to be rid of (whether by trade or buyout) for the price of 0.5mil more in current cap hit and a pick that only comes to fruition if Neal proves to be a fit.

Pretty much a no-lose! Props to him
- MaximumBone

Imagine if he gets rid of Russell as well.....

Imagine if he gets rid of Russell as well.....
- RatedR80

I imagine our D corps being ravaged if that happens 😅 While I'd be glad to be rid of Russell, I don't think we'd be wise to get rid of another legit NHL Dman without a plan for a replacement.

I imagine our D corps being ravaged if that happens 😅 While I'd be glad to be rid of Russell, I don't think we'd be wise to get rid of another legit NHL Dman without a plan for a replacement.
- MaximumBone

If he can trade Lucic then he can trade Russell as well I don’t dream often so I’m dreaming of this

this is why we win the trade....we can dump him off soon
- RatedR80

Unless he notches another 20+ goal season, nobody will want him. That being said, you guys gained a guy with scoring potential in exchange for a totally irrelevant knuckle-dragger, so good job. Last years embarrassment aside, Neal has averaged 31 goals per 82 games every other season......

5.25 for lucic,6.5 for neal. Lucic can whoops ass, good possession stats, and will get as many points as neal. What a night

5.25 for lucic,6.5 for neal. Lucic can whoops ass, good possession stats, and will get as many points as neal. What a night
- Squilliam-

I’m proud of you for coming up with positives for the Flames

Holland should win GM of the year for this trade! It is not that I hate what Lucic brings, but rather the contract that he had coupled with his diminishing production of late. I still believe he could put up 10+ goals (even if he was still with the Oilers), but to pay him 6mil to sit in the bottom six is too much.

Ken just got rid of a bad contract for basically $750,000 and a conditional 3rd round pick, sure he brought on another bad contract, but one that allows him to have flexibility in moving the player via buyout, trade or waivers/demotion and free up a roster spot if needed, all that plus maybe gaining 20+ (realistically 10+) goals, that is a gamble I'd take any day. If this trade goes bust he could walk away from it after one year and increase cap flexibility for next season with a buyout.

What I am curious about is how this will adjust the roster. For Neal to be productive he will have to play in the top six. The intriguing option would be to have Draisaitl and Neal on a second line, while McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins are on the first line (something that showed success early on in the year)

A point that seems to be being neglected is that, even if he doesn't workout and we don't want to buy him out, we can still send him down to the AHL and save 1.025mil (iirc) off his contract for as long as he's down there. That leaves us at around 5.475mil which is STILL cheaper than Lucic would've been.

Further, his injury history is piling up so LTIR if he gets too busted up.

A point that seems to be being neglected is that, even if he doesn't workout and we don't want to buy him out, we can still send him down to the AHL and save 1.025mil (iirc) off his contract for as long as he's down there. That leaves us at around 5.475mil which is STILL cheaper than Lucic would've been.

Further, his injury history is piling up so LTIR if he gets too busted up.
- MaximumBone

I believe they would save league minimum with him in the AHL. Prorated to the time he spends in Edmonton. If he can make or take a pass, hit the net on a shot and not look like Yak skating i call it a win. Its a cant lose situation for Neal really. He gets out of a situation where he was the scapegoat for Calgary's poor showing in the playoffs, be it his fault or the teams. Lucic does the same as being the scapegoat of the Chia regime. Win/win for the clubs. Win/win for the players. Now as for the trade, i am ecstatic that Lucic is gone. Didnt want him in the first place, but it was an already expected move and accepted thinking he would perform at his then current for at least 2 years before a tank began, unfortunately the tank job began 1 year later.

I suspect both players have better years than last year. But i also suspect neither live up to their contract value. Neal should pull in 20-25 goals with an upside of 30 if he pulls as much PP time as Lucic did. Lucic should pull in 10-15 in a more relaxed mode where he isnt gripping the stick so much. Lucic will add more physicality and a presence the flames dont have nor didnt last year. Each team gets some positive, but i think Edmonton gains more.

So who won this trade?

Clearly the loser is whoever accepts Lucic's contract. Don't really care about the return.

But, put Neil on McDavid's wing, and I'm thinking his 'slump' might be over.

Flames got hosed. Best Battle of Alberta in ages!

5.25 for lucic,6.5 for neal. Lucic can whoops ass, good possession stats, and will get as many points as neal. What a night
- Squilliam-

Can whoop ass and often chooses not to

Would you rather....
Be alfiesalad or Oil90?

I think i prefer autoerotic asphyxiation. With one of Jeros dates. But im still undecided.

Would you rather....
Be alfiesalad or Oil90?

I think i prefer autoerotic asphyxiation. With one of Jeros dates. But im still undecided.
- wreckage

Or you could be wreckage who is afraid flames fans won't like him anymore...it's ok real friends in the real world are overrated anyway right...

Can whoop ass and often chooses not to
- Reveen.

Probably because there was no point, Oilers were a joke all year but one. Now he will have meaningful games to play on a team contending for the Pacific

He has no excuse.....he was given a chance to play with the best player on the planet and SLOWED HIM DOWN!!......you know how bad you have to be to pull that off? Both Neal and Lucic aren’t worth the paper their contracts were written on
- RatedR80

Lucic cant keep up McDavid. Even when he did play with McDavid he did produce but McDavid is a ridiculously fast player. Lucic isnt a player that is going to strive on the rush. Lucic is a much better fit for a Center like Getzlaf than McDavid. Lucic will more than likely play with Jankowski and Bennett. That may be a good fit though I wouldnt expect huge production from the third line.

I dont think Neal will be able to keep up either. He has the potential to mayb e play with Drasaitl or McDavid or both but the guy couldnt hack it with Monahan and Johnny Hockey who are very talented players. Yes McDavid is better but you arent going to see that much of an increase. There is too much emphasis on who players play with. Just because you put a bunch of skilled players together doesnt mean they will play well together.

So who won this trade?

Clearly the loser is whoever accepts Lucic's contract. Don't really care about the return.

But, put Neil on McDavid's wing, and I'm thinking his 'slump' might be over.

Flames got hosed. Best Battle of Alberta in ages!
- EdmOilFan

You realize Lucic and Neal both have a similar contract right? Same length, 350k difference......

You realize Lucic and Neal both have a similar contract right? Same length, 350k difference......
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

You realize one has a NMC and is signing bonus heavy right?

Well, slap me silly.

Gotta give Holland his credit. To be able to offload Lucic and his NMC... that's pretty big, especially going into the expansion draft.


I still don't know why Calgary, a RIVAL, made that trade...

Nonetheless, I wonder what layout Holland will use when it comes to protecting players?

You realize Lucic and Neal both have a similar contract right? Same length, 350k difference......
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

Neal has an upside. He hasn't played crap hockey for the Oilers for the past 2 years. He may play crap hockey for the next 2 years. But the Oilers are all about 'promising' results, never real results.

You realize one has a NMC and is signing bonus heavy right?
- MaximumBone

1) Bonus heavy is irrelevant.

2) Edmonton retained $750k in Lucic's salary

3) Even if Lucic DIDNT have a NMC, who is going to want to take the guy if he continues to struggle? This deal only happened because the other guy was in the exact same boat. The NMC didnt seem to stop him from leaving Edmonton either....

1) Bonus heavy is irrelevant.

2) Edmonton retained $750k in Lucic's salary

3) Even if Lucic DIDNT have a NMC, who is going to want to take the guy if he continues to struggle? This deal only happened because the other guy was in the exact same boat. The NMC didnt seem to stop him from leaving Edmonton either....
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

The fact that it's bonus-heavy is absolutely relevant as the team now has the option to buy the contract out and actually get some significant savings out of it. Now, rather than spending 5.6mil, 4.1mil and 5.6mil followed by 625k for 3 years on a buyout of Lucic, the buyout would only cost 1.8mil for 6 years. That's the difference between being bonus-heavy and not. Even with the 750k they retained, that's still ~2.5mil for the duration of the contract.

The NMC is relevant because the expansion draft is 2 years away. Sure, he can be bought out to avoid that issue, but that's just one less thing for the Oilers to have to worry about. If we had kept him and bought him out in his final year to avoid the expansion issue, then we'd still be on the hook for 5.6mil.

Holland has set up a situation where the worst case scenario is that he effectively spent a conditional 3rd on a half cap-retained Lucic trade (but ~500k cheaper). Is there any team in the league that would've taken on 3mil for 4 years for a conditional 3rd? Nope.

Holland has set up a situation where the worst case scenario is that he effectively spent a conditional 3rd on a half cap-retained Lucic trade (but ~500k cheaper). Is there any team in the league that would've taken on 3mil for 4 years for a conditional 3rd? Nope.
- MaximumBone

I’m quite impressed by this move. Might just be that we finally have a competent GM.

Imagine if he gets rid of Russell as well.....
- RatedR80

Lets trade Russell and Puljujärvi to Florida for Pysyk and a pick.