Here’s why the trade works for the Flames:
1. The GM gets to get out from under the embarrassment of an expensive free agency miss
Hey, at least with the Lucic signing Peter Chiarelli got one solid season out of Lucic before he started struggling so badly.
Brad Treliving didn’t even get that out of Neal. Ouch. That’s embarrassing and a huge black mark on his resume if he could at least get a guy who could benefit from a change of scenery that would at least show the prospect of getting better. Right now he doesn’t have that.
2. Neal and Lucic would both take up the same roster spot on the Flames, creating minimal roster disruption for the team.
https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/calgary-flames/line-combinations/
James Neal is currently playing 3rd line LW right now with Calgary, and Lucic would take the same position with them.
3. Calgary has a history of liking – and employing – power forwards
Theoren Fleury Brett Hull Jarome Iginla and to a lesser degree Joe Nieuwendyk.
The Flames love these players – and if they could get Lucic going again, they’d have the distinction of having a great 1-2 punch on the left side with Matthew Tkachuk as the other teammate. Maybe Lucic could even leapfrog Tkachuk if he can prove he can still get back to scoring form. Wouldn’t that be grand for Calgary?