James Neal Explains How One NHL Franchise Ruined His Career - He Was Lied to

In a perfect world an NHL player attends camp, makes the team and does his thing during the season to warrant a roster spot and nice pay cheque.

Like every other player James Neal paid his dues and was known league-wide as an offensive threat, who was a consistent 20-goal scorer.

But when Neal started to struggle, the frustration followed close behind and he believes that one particular team is to blame for the downfall of his career.

According to Neal, the Flames misuse of him, in not deploying him in the top-six, specifically alongside Johnny Gaudreau was a surprise and disappoinment to 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,» said Neal. «He's a special player, Johnny is. You know, he's so deceptive, his IQ's so high.»

Certainly Neal isn't wrong in believing that if he in fact had played alongside Gaudreau that his performance and statistics would have shown that.

Fortunately his new team is well on their way through a rebuild, and the roster is looking quite nice with the likes if Boqvist and Werenski on the blueline, Sillinger, Chinakov and Johnson as the young talent, and Laine, Gaudreau as the veteran fire-power. Surely Neal has the supporting cast to elevate his play.

Should he not acclimate, it could be argued that Neal's career could end in Ohio with the Blue Jackets.

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