Headlines

  • Vegas Golden Knights Fire Peter DeBoer
  • New York Islanders Name Lane Lambert Head Coach
  • Montreal Canadiens Win 2022 NHL Draft Lottery
  • New York Islanders Fire Barry Trotz
  • Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Retain Mike Yeo As Head Coach
  • Jets Agree To Three-Year Extension With Kevin Cheveldayoff
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • MLB Trade Rumors
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors

Pro Hockey Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • Atlantic
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Central
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Metropolitan
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Pacific
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Partners
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Profile: James Neal

August 22, 2021 at 9:47 am CDT | by Josh Erickson 9 Comments

Things have fallen sharply for veteran forward James Neal since his storybook season with the inaugural Vegas Golden Knights. After scoring 25 goals and 44 points in 2017-18 to mark his 10th consecutive season of scoring 20 or more goals, Neal signed a now-infamous five-year, $28.75MM deal with the Calgary Flames on the second day of free agency in 2018. He only lasted one season in Calgary on that contract, however, scoring just seven goals and 19 points, sometimes serving as a healthy scratch.

But many thought redemption was in order for Neal when a swap with the Edmonton Oilers sent him to Northern Alberta in exchange for Milan Lucic. With the chance for Neal to play with one or both of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, 20 goals or more was again the expectation for the consistently gifted scorer. Neal didn’t quite hit the mark, but would’ve if the season hadn’t been cut short due to COVID-19 – his bounce-back season in Edmonton saw him score 19 goals and 31 points in 55 games, numbers reminiscent of his time in Vegas.

However, Neal’s decline accelerated this season, and his numbers once again plummeted to unacceptable depths for his $5.75MM cap hit. He’s now a free agent after being bought out by the Oilers on July 27th, a buyout that’ll see Neal cost them $1.917MM against the cap for the next four seasons. 2020-21 was Neal’s roughest season yet, actually, spending almost half of the 56-game season sitting in the press box. His shooting percentage and time on ice fell sharply as Neal’s lack of strong play-driving cost him a significant role at even strength.

Neal still carries veteran leadership and name recognition. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s played in 11 straight playoffs, totaling 58 points in 110 games over that timeframe. It remains to be seen whether teams will value that experience enough to extend Neal a contract offer.

Stats

2020-21: 29 GP, 5-5-10, -2 rating, 11 PIMS, 51 shots, 49.3% CF, 12:06 ATOI
Career: 850 GP, 294-261-555, +8 rating, 581 PIMS, 2,483 shots, 53.2% CF, 17:22 ATOI

Potential Suitors

The good news here for James Neal is that there are still plenty of teams looking to add affordable, experienced depth, especially on the wings. There are still a few options that make sense for the 33-year-old Ontario-born winger.

The Carolina Hurricanes come to mind immediately as a team that’s still looking to fill out their forward group, especially their depth in the bottom-six. Neal fits well in this role for them, especially considering the limited scoring upside of some current options in Jordan Martinook, Steven Lorentz, and Stefan Noesen. If paired with a strong play-driver and playmaker like Jordan Staal, Neal’s scoring touch could give a boost to Carolina’s third line.

If Neal wants to chase a Stanley Cup, and if the interest is mutual, the Colorado Avalanche also make a decent amount of sense. For a team that lost both Brandon Saad and Joonas Donskoi this offseason, his double-digit scoring upside is more palatable than that of someone like Darren Helm’s or Stefan Matteau’s. The New Jersey Devils also come to mind as a squad who could still use some additional veteran presence to help propel a potential playoff push this season.

Projected Contract

Neal was not included on our Top 50 UFA list, as he hadn’t been bought out at the time of publishing. But it’s still hard to imagine Neal receiving anything more than the $1MM range on a one-year contract, considering he hasn’t been inked to a deal already. Neal finds himself in a similar situation to that of Jason Spezza a few years back — a once consistent talent who’d seen his numbers drop in recent seasons. Spezza took a league-minimum $700,000 (at the time) contract to stay in the league, and it’s a strong possibility Neal will have to do the same.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Share 0 Retweet 0 Send via email

Carolina Hurricanes| Colorado Avalanche| Edmonton Oilers| Free Agency| James Neal| New Jersey Devils

More Moves Forthcoming For The Philadelphia Flyers
Main
Poll: Where Will The Arizona Coyotes Play In 2022-23?
View Comments (9)
newest oldest

Comments

  1. The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant

    9 months ago

    Seattle needs someone who can score

    Reply
    • Freddy H

      9 months ago

      I could be completely wrong based on the lack of skill in Seattle…

      But I think teams are going to be afraid of them. They’re big and the players should play with a ton of intensity in the inaugural season.

      I don’t think this team succeeds long term without an addition of a some top 6 talent, but this season they could smash their way to a division title, maybe even win a round of the playoffs

      Reply
    • Freddy H

      9 months ago

      Grubauer makes them a legitimate threat as a defensive minded team.

      I think we see them pinch a lot but do so effectively with the size and right system in place , and most importantly a goalie who can handle a break away from time to time

      Reply
  2. cory-5

    9 months ago

    He can barely skate and is only useful as PP specialist. Bad teams fill that roll with young players and good teams use their top-6. There really isn’t much of a role for him now. I can see him getting a camp tryout and latching on if he performs well, though.

    3
    Reply
    • FearTheWilson

      9 months ago

      Well said

      Reply
    • Freddy H

      9 months ago

      Penguins could use some scoring depth on the 3rd line.

      Hed seem a great fit next to playmaker Jeff Carter , but I’ve heard heresy Neal was a major jerk and ultimately lead to him being shipped off for Hornquivst (which ended up being a great trade for the Pens while being a very questionable move at the time)

      Reply
    • Ducey

      9 months ago

      Neal isn’t a jerk. Just slow boots

      Reply
    • Freddy H

      9 months ago

      I’ve heard otherwise from people who knew him and not just fans trying to bug him for an autograph

      Reply
  3. mario crosby

    9 months ago

    The guy wears out his welcome very quickly because he is a jerk.

    2
    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Vegas Golden Knights Fire Peter DeBoer

    New York Islanders Name Lane Lambert Head Coach

    Montreal Canadiens Win 2022 NHL Draft Lottery

    New York Islanders Fire Barry Trotz

    Philadelphia Flyers Will Not Retain Mike Yeo As Head Coach

    Jets Agree To Three-Year Extension With Kevin Cheveldayoff

    Red Wings Will Not Bring Back Jeff Blashill Next Season

    Dustin Brown To Retire After 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs

    Buffalo Sabres Sign Owen Power

    Doug Wilson Steps Down From Role With San Jose Sharks

    Recent

    Stars Notes: Klingberg, Bowness, Injuries

    Update On Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang

    Edmonton Oilers Recall Seven Players

    Wild Notes: Goaltending, Johansson, Free Agency

    Submit Your Questions For The #PHRMailbag

    Kevin Fiala’s Future Remains Uncertain

    Philadelphia Flyers Sign Adam Ginning

    Maple Leafs Will Not Make Management, Coaching Changes

    Winnipeg Jets Interviewing Barry Trotz

    St. Louis Blues Sign Vadim Zherenko

    Rumors By Team

    Rumors By Team

    • Avalanche Rumors
    • Blackhawks Rumors
    • Blue Jackets Rumors
    • Blues Rumors
    • Bruins Rumors
    • Canadiens Rumors
    • Canucks Rumors
    • Capitals Rumors
    • Coyotes Rumors
    • Devils Rumors
    • Ducks Rumors
    • Flames Rumors
    • Flyers Rumors
    • Golden Knights Rumors
    • Hurricanes Rumors
    • Islanders Rumors
    • Jets Rumors
    • Kings Rumors
    • Kraken Rumors
    • Lightning Rumors
    • Maple Leafs Rumors
    • Oilers Rumors
    • Panthers Rumors
    • Penguins Rumors
    • Predators Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Red Wings Rumors
    • Sabres Rumors
    • Senators Rumors
    • Sharks Rumors
    • Stars Rumors
    • Wild Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives

    PHR Info

    • About
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

    scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version