One of the biggest trades ever made between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames took place on Friday as the Oilers dealt left winger Milan Lucic of Vancouver, British Columbia to the Flames for left winger James Neal of Whitby, Ontario.One could make the argument that both players desperately need a change of scenery after not meeting expectations during their time with the Oilers and Flames. Last season, Neal had a career low seven goals in 63 games with the Flames, while Lucic only had six goals in 79 games with the Oilers.
In addition to only having seven goals, Neal had 12 assists for 19 points. He was a -5 with 28 penalty minutes, six power play points, one game winning goal, 141 shots on goal, five faceoff wins, 19 blocked shots, 46 hits, 11 takeaways and 35 giveaways.
Lucic meanwhile had 14 assists for 20 points. He was a -9 with 91 penalty minutes, four power play points, 74 shots on goal, 25 faceoff wins, 22 blocked shots, 259 hits, 27 takeaways and 34 giveaways.
Neal will be joining his sixth NHL team. He has previously played with the Dallas Stars, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and Flames. Lucic will be joining his fourth NHL team. He has previously played with the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and Oilers.
So far the majority of NHL writers have highly praised the Oilers for making the deal. Prior to only scoring seven goals this past season, Neal had 11 straight seasons of scoring a minimum of 21 goals. In 2011-12, Neal had a career high 40 goals with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That same season, Neal led the NHL with 18 power play goals and was a first-team all-star.
However one must realize that Neal and Lucic are two completely different players. Neal is expected to be more offensively gifted, while Lucic is expected to skate around the ice and bang people. The expectations and the pressure this year for Neal to succeed is significantly higher than Lucic.
One must also realize that Flames general manager Brad Treliving has had an excellent track record in making deals. He has not yet made a trade where one could legitimately say the Flames lost. The verdict is out on this deal, but it is definitely premature to say the Oilers came out on top.
