Eklund: Oilers Trade a Game Changer. Puts Pressure on Teams.

Louie Erickson 🙏

Flames actually have 10 million available, counting Jon Gillies and Alan Quine on the cap, who will both start the year in the A. So closer to 11.5, and then again, it doesn't account for a likely Michael Stone buyout. So try 14 million available, which should be more than enough to resign everybody.

But hey, whatever is needed to fit the narrative...

Wait are you calling Lucic a game changer?? Are you serious right now??

Always more to come.

Oilers made the best trade in years ? are you serious lol the trade cost them an increase of 500 000$ on the cap and they give a conditional 3rd maybe ? so a James Neal at 6.5M instead of a Lucic at 6M ? how can that be a good trade ? Eklund are you smoking something ?

Tkachukfor Fabbri, Steen, and a pick

Treliving still planning on acquiring Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, and Ericsson.....that way he can boast that he owns the 4 worst contracts in the NHL

Oilers made the best trade in years ? are you serious lol the trade cost them an increase of 500 000$ on the cap and they give a conditional 3rd maybe ? so a James Neal at 6.5M instead of a Lucic at 6M ? how can that be a good trade ? Eklund are you smoking something ?
- Zo0by

Neal has like 6 straight years of 25+ goals.....one off year playing in a bad situation......put him on a line with either McDavid or RNH and I’m sure he’ll be right back to 25-30 goals

Oilers will be happy giving up the third rounder if it means Neal hits 22 plus goals on the year all the while moving the worst contract in the nhl...if chiarelli is bad than treliving has got to be worse for taking a mistake and making it his own...at least chiarelli had ties to lucic...Neal plays with mcdavid who he is training with(no coincidence) will be back to 25-30 goals on the year...you can find a guy that does what lucic does for $650,000 all over the ahl rosters...of course there is that extra whole $500,000 for a small market team like the flames is huge but not even enoughh to sign a nhl min contract...

Check out the buyout penalties for lucic vs Neal, and who has to be protected in the expansion draft then come back and say who won the trade lol. The player for player details dont matter at all, but the oilers are now able to get out from the mistake that was made while calgary just accepted the entire weight of a bad contract along with his NTC/NMC

Plus, we now have the ability to put Mcdavid on the ice against arguably the slowest and least skilled player in the league.

Oilers are more like the Vegas Knights than the Flames?!?

I don't buy that at all. Whatever was wrong with Neal in Calgary, it wasn't the system nor his linemates. Perhaps it was him thinking that the pressure to be a 2-way player was off somehow. If he's healthy and buys into the oiler's team plans he'll be fine.
As for Lucic, you have to wonder if all those heavy minutes over the years have taken their toll.

It’s not even a question who’d you rather have, it’s James Neal. At least he doesn’t skate like a one legged dog haha

Calgary made a bad decision

Game changer you mean a lead weight on skates?

Cap considerations, didn’t Calgary net a smaller cap hit with Lucics salary being retained?

Neal is probably slowe. You must've not watched him at all last year. Brought everyone around him down, got scratched in their biggest game, did not bring any physicality.

Neal is an upgrade over Lurkic. But so is Joe Butta(frank)ooooo

oilers like the golden knights? I stopped reading after that

oilers like the golden knights? I stopped reading after that
- Bettmanhatesus

Both teams play hockey. That's about it.

The second most shocking thing about this trade (the first being how lopsided it is toward Edmonton) is that it is between two rivals. It is almost never good to make trades with rivals, for several reasons.

The last significant trade the Pens made with the Flyers was in 1992 - the Recchi + 1st for Tocchet, Samuelsson, and Wregget. That was one of those rare truly mutually beneficial trades. However, up to that point it was not really a true rivalry since the Flyers had dominated since both teams came into the league. Things would change from that point forward, of course. I don't expect the Pens to ever make a significant trade with the Flyers, Capitals, Rangers, or Islanders again and even minor league trades would be surprising.

The second most shocking thing about this trade (the first being how lopsided it is toward Edmonton) is that it is between two rivals. It is almost never good to make trades with rivals, for several reasons.

The last significant trade the Pens made with the Flyers was in 1992 - the Recchi + 1st for Tocchet, Samuelsson, and Wregget. That was one of those rare truly mutually beneficial trades. However, up to that point it was not really a true rivalry since the Flyers had dominated since both teams came into the league. Things would change from that point forward, of course. I don't expect the Pens to ever make a significant trade with the Flyers, Capitals, Rangers, or Islanders again and even minor league trades would be surprising.
- PghPens668771

Sooooo.. you're saying we're never getting Crosby or Malkin?

So you referred to Lucic as a gamechanger, and you spelled Neal's name wrong. I think I might look elsewhere for trade analysis.

Also surprised your NY sources didn't mention Trouba being close to a massive extension. Guess he's out of the RFA war.

Cheese and Rice people, he meant the TRADE was a game changer, not that Lucic was...

Check out the buyout penalties for lucic vs Neal, and who has to be protected in the expansion draft then come back and say who won the trade lol. The player for player details dont matter at all, but the oilers are now able to get out from the mistake that was made while calgary just accepted the entire weight of a bad contract along with his NTC/NMC

Plus, we now have the ability to put Mcdavid on the ice against arguably the slowest and least skilled player in the league.
- benmacw

Looking at Edmonton’s roster, I struggle finding more than 5 forwards that I would be concerned about losing in the expansion draft that would be eligible

There's literally never... NEVER anything more...