Neal’s scoring touch the real deal
Off-season acquisition figures to pump up Flames’ struggling offence
Twenty goals should be a cinch, right?
In a decade of National Hockey League employment, Calgary Flames’ summer signing James Neal has made an annual habit of hitting that mark.
No matter the city.
No matter the circumstances. Twenty-plus goals.
Every. Single. Season. Now, as the marquee off-season addition to a Flames squad that was absolutely starved for scoring depth last winter, the pressure is on to keep that streak alive. Fine by him.
“For me, I put that pressure on myself to score goals,” Neal said matter-of-factly. “Whether it’s coming from the outside, in the media, or coming from inside your room or from inside your own head, I think you always have those pressures of wanting to be a better player, wanting to be a better person and wanting to score.
“I just look forward to getting going. This has been a great summer. Everything I’ve done up until this point, it makes me feel confident in my game and makes me feel ready to go.”
Wednesday is go time for Neal and his new pals.
After three weeks of twists, from the Great Wall to Tuesday’s Great Snowfall, the Flames will officially open their regular-season slate with a visit to the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena (8 p.m., Sportsnet/Sportsnet 960 The Fan).
Sometimes, a guy needs a bit of time after an off-season change of address to find a role with his new team.
The 31-year-old Neal, though, knows exactly what is expected of him in Calgary.
Score goals.
The Flames struggled to light the lamp in 2017-18, averaging just 2.63 snipes per night (only four squads tickled less twine).
With a proven marksman at the top of their wish list in unrestricted free-agency, they inked ‘The Real Deal’ to a big-bucks contract worth US$5.75-million for each of the next five seasons.
“He’s been a dangerous goalscorer,” said Flames head coach Bill Peters of the new guy in No. 18. “You go all the way back in the Ontario Hockey League, when he was in Plymouth … He’s scored all his life. That’s what he’s done.”
The Flames are counting on Neal — formerly of the Dallas Stars, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Nashville Predators and a key to the Vegas Golden Knights’ fairy tale run to the Stanley Cup final as an expansion squad last spring — to keep it up.
While many assumed he would ride shotgun for the top-line tandem of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, the more defensively sound Elias Lindholm is currently skating in that spot.
And with the 3M Line still together, Neal will instead be the headliner on the Calgary club’s third unit — with rookie Dillon Dube on left wing and fellow freeagent addition Derek Ryan up the middle.
Dube will be shooting Wednesday for his first big-league tally. Ryan has 28 of ’em.
And Neal? His career total is currently at 263, plus 31 more in the post-season.
“With the guys we have, it gives us the ability to move guys around at all times. We have guys that can fall into different slots,” said Neal, who potted 25 goals during his lone campaign in Sin City and added a half-dozen more during the playoff run. “For me, I’m happy. I’m just excited to get going.
“It doesn’t change anything for me. I’m going to go out there and do what I’ve done in the past.”
What he’s done in the past is put the puck in net. Consistently. Twenty-plus goals, every single season (including one lockoutshortened slate).
“You have to adapt, that’s for sure,” Neal said, sharing some of the secrets of his prolonged scoring success.
“Whether it’s changing up the way you shoot the puck, whether it’s changing on who you’re playing with or what you have to do to score — whether you have to score around the net or you’re getting looks in the slot or you’re getting the puck off quick in different areas.
“For me, changing teams and playing with a lot of different guys, I think you have to change your game to suit who your linemates are and who you’re going to play with. I think I’ve been able to do a good job of that. This year is no different.”