• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Calgary Flames

Flames’ Neal Dealing with Growing Pains

By Ryan Pike December 12th, 2018

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp


Through the first third of the 2018-19 season, the Calgary Flames have emerged as one of the highest scoring clubs in the National Hockey League. Their offensive outburst hasn’t been unexpected, as their most talented players are still quite young and on the up-slope of their careers.

Calgary Flames James Neal

Calgary Flames left wing James Neal (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

But after a high profile signing on July 1, the big surprise has been that forward James Neal hasn’t been a huge part of Calgary’s goal-scoring explosion. Through the first chunk of the season, he’s been more of a supporting player rather than a driver of the team’s success.

A History of Scoring Success

There’s no big secret why Neal was so appealing to the Flames when he hit the open market as a free agent: the man knows how to score a lot of goals consistently. Heading into free agency Neal had played 10 full seasons in the NHL, split between Dallas, Pittsburgh, Nashville and Vegas. His offensive production is pretty impressive:

  • 1 season of 40+ goals (2011-12)
  • 1 season of 30-39 goals (2015-16)
  • 8 seasons of 20-29 goals (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2016-17, 2017-18)

Neal’s production has come from two key elements of his game: he has consistently gotten a lot of shots on net and he has had a consistently strong shooting percentage. Both are a product of his uncanny ability to find open ice, receive passes and get shots off quickly and accurately. Aside from his rookie year and the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, he’s fired 200 (or more) shots on goalies every season. His personal shooting percentage has ranged between 10.4% to 15.4% during his career; if he fires 200 shots on goal, he’ll range between 21 and 31 goals per season like clockwork.

Based on this resume and history of finding the back of the net, Neal’s five year, $5.75 million AAV contract seemed a bit risky for the Flames due to his age, but really didn’t seem all that outlandish.

The Flames Are Scoring, But Neal Isn’t

The good news for the Flames is that they’ve really turned a corner offensively. A year ago, they were among the NHL’s least productive offensive teams – only Buffalo, Arizona, Montreal and Detroit scored less often. This season they’re among the NHL’s most productive offensive squads – only Tampa Bay, Toronto, Washington and Colorado have scored more. But that turnaround hasn’t been due to Neal’s scoring, but rather in spite of a lack of it.

Through the first 31 games, Neal has just three goals – all at even strength. His goal production is tied for 8th on the team at even strength and tied for 11th overall, with his goal-scoring on the same level as defensemen Mark Giordano and Noah Hanifin.

Fourteen players have 65-or-more shots and 4-or-fewer goals. That list is comprised of 13 defencemen and James Neal (73 shots, 3 goals).

The defencemen: Hamilton, Karlsson, Burns, Klefbom, Faulk, Giordano, Theodore, Seabrook, Nurse, Ristolainen, Gostisbehere, Boychuk, Byfuglien.

— Darren Haynes (@DarrenWHaynes) December 10, 2018

There isn’t just one reason for Neal’s diminished production, but several. He’s playing fewer minutes per game for the Flames than he did with the Predators or Golden Knights. In part because of his lessened ice time, he’s putting fewer pucks on net than he has in the past – he’s averaging 2.35 shots per game, down half a shot from last season. His shooting percentage has also cratered; after a decade of shooting over 10% consistently, only 4.1% of his shots are going in.

The Pains of Growing Secondary Scoring

The big challenge for Neal has been his usage. He’s been a top six, offensively-oriented player for his entire career, playing frequently in each game and primarily with skilled offensive players. The Flames’ most skilled offensive players play in pairs on the top two lines: Johnny Gaudreau with Sean Monahan and Mikael Backlund with Matthew Tkachuk. Elias Lindholm has fit like a glove with Gaudreau and Monahan, and unfortunately Neal isn’t a strong enough two-way player to work with Backlund and Tkachuk on the team’s shutdown line.

As a result, Neal’s been put in a secondary role with less established, more emerging offensive players. His on-ice shooting percentage is second-lowest on the team at 5.4%, meaning pucks aren’t going into the net for anybody while he’s on the ice. His most consistent even strength linemates have been veteran two-way forward Derek Ryan and young forwards Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski, and otherwise he’s been on a second power play unit that hasn’t scored a ton. Eventually the bounces are bound to start going the other way, especially if Bennett and Jankowski keep developing as young scorers.

For a decade, Neal has been a guy that can flat-out score. The puck hasn’t been going in for him to start his tenure with the Flames, but much of that can be explained by his usage and a shooting percentage that’s bound to bounce back. For now Neal has to keep pushing and battling through the growing pains as the Flames continue to develop their secondary scoring.

  • Tags
  • James Neal
  • Top Story
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 15th 12:15 PM
New York Islanders

Islanders Pick Up Where They Left Off in 4-0 Debut

Jan 15th 11:59 AM
Winnipeg Jets

Winnipeg Jets’ Home-Opener History

Jan 15th 11:52 AM
Archives

Remembering an Old Friend: Buffalo’s Memorial Auditorium

Jan 15th 10:25 AM
Los Angeles Kings

Kings Will Benefit From Doughty & Maatta Pairing

Jan 15th 10:15 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Revisiting the Golden Knights’ Trade for Max Pacioretty

Jan 15th 10:05 AM
Arizona Coyotes

Coyotes a Potential Sleeper Threat for Avalanche in West Division

Jan 15th 9:55 AM
Carolina Hurricanes

3 Positive Takeaways From the Hurricanes’ Season Opener

Jan 15th 9:45 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Blackhawks News & Rumours: Toews, Dach, Kubalik, Subban & More

Jan 15th 9:35 AM
Washington Capitals

Capitals’ New Season Opens in Strange Conditions

Jan 15th 9:25 AM
Detroit Red Wings

Red Wings’ Greiss Shines, Other Newcomers Quiet in Season Opener

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information