So let's recap the deal. The Pittsburgh Penguins officially traded winger James Neal to the Nashville Predators and in return received winger Patric Hornqvist and forward Nick Spaling. No picks were swapped and the Predators did not retain any of Hornqvist contract, much to the chagrin of many of the fan base. Right now, there are a lot of people out there screaming that this is a ridiculous move. This is a move that Ray Shero used to pull on the GMs around the league during his time in Pittsburgh.
Look, I completely get the angst. James Neal was a fan favorite in Pittsburgh. He played some very good hockey for the Pens in his three full seasons in black and gold. He scored 89 goals in 199 games. He scored 40 goals in 2011-12. He has been a force on the powerplay. Maybe most importantly, he had amazing chemistry with Evgeni Malkin and the two often left us in stitches with their shenanigans. It is always tough to say goodbye, but that is where we find ourselves tonight.
What a lot of the fan base needs to realize is it was logical to trade James Neal, it's just what the Pens got in return that is illogical. James Neal is 26 years old. He is an elite scorer, a sniper. He is a powerplay goal machine. His contract made him very accessible to many teams and all of those factors together made him the most logical choice for the Pens to trade tonight. It is rumored that he fell out of favor this year, especially after the Marchand incident. He has a reputation of being a dirty player, and that may have played a role in the Pens not only trading him, but also affected the return for him in any potential move.
Like I said, its not the trading of James Neal that really has the fan base in an uproar, its the return for trading James Neal. When the rumors started that the Pens were talking to Nashville, I curiously took a look at the Preds roster. Immediately two names jumped out at me: Viktor Stalberg and Patric Hornqvist. Stalberg and maybe someone like Colin Wilson would've made sense if the Pens were gonna make a trade and give up the 22nd pick. Hornqvist I assumed would take a little more, but seeing as his contract was close to a Neal anyway, it was a move that really wouldn't help with the cap issues.
But then the news broke, Hornqvist indeed it would be and Nick Staling...for James Neal. That did not make sense to me. What did it really do? It added to the cap, and Staling will be a restricted free agent come July 1st. It just didn't make sense. But then I thought maybe it's a bridge deal; combine Hornqvist and the 22nd pick and try to get a Patrick Sharp or acquire several needed pieces. That doesn't seem the case though. Rutherford said he is excited about the deal and that Staling was what sent it over the top. Rutherford sees them as big parts of this team, and that he would replace Neal with a "big free agent" signing on July 1st for Malkin's line. I hope for his sake he does that, otherwise he will only further alienate an irritated fan base.
The 2014 NHL Draft will be remembered for many in Pens nation as the night the new regime traded James Neal. It is a thought that will remain on many of our minds, especially if Staling leaves via free agency and Hornqvist fails to assimilate well into the Top 6 with Sid or Geno. But for now, we have to take it with a grain of salt. It may not be the prettiest move and in the long run we may be considered losers in the deal, but we need to at least give Hornqvist and Staling a chance to make a mark on Consol Energy Center. I will miss James Neal and his excellent fu manchu mustache, and I wish him the best of luck in Nashville.