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REPORT: James Neal thinks his former team RUINED his hockey career

Published October 1, 2022 at 9:12 PM
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After starting his career in Dallas when the stars drafted him 33rd overall back in 2005, James Neal really found his stride with the Pittsburgh Penguins during his time on a line with Evgeni Malkin, where in 2011-12 season, he scored 41 goals and 40 assists in 80 games.

In the 2014 offseason, he was traded to the Nashville Predators for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling, where he had some great success as well, putting up 23+ goals in three straight seasons, and even had a run to the cup finals.


He was left unprotected in the Vegas expansion draft, where they were more than happy to snap him up, and he went on a run to the finals with them too, but unfortunately losing in back-to-back finals appearances.


After one season with the Golden Knights, he signed a large contract with the Calgary Flames in the 2018 offseason 5-years deal with a $5.75 Million AAV, and things have never recovered for James Neal.

Calgary was kind of the death of me when I went there. I was on the fourth line just trucking away. It's been a battle since then.

«I went there to play on his line, that's what I was signing, that's what I thought I was gonna do,» Neal added. «He's a special player, Johnny Gaudreau is. You know, he's so deceptive, his IQ's so high.

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October 1   |   473 answers
REPORT: James Neal thinks his former team RUINED his hockey career

Will James Neal become an elite player again?

yes8417.8 %
no38982.2 %
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