James Neal Could Prove To Be Valuable For The St. Louis Blues
By Jason Martin
St. Louis Blues forward and NHL veteran James Neal was placed on and cleared waivers this week, but he could still prove valuable to the team in 2022.
James Neal has had a suspicious start to his St. Louis Blues career. He was placed on long-term injured reserve on November 27, almost two months after the season started, and on January 2, he was placed on waivers.
His numbers prove that he has not been effective as a Blue this season, but his struggles may have an explanation. Neal’s struggles could be attributed to the pandemic and his time on IR. He was in and out of the lineup to begin the year after earning a spot in training camp.
The start to his preseason made general manager Doug Armstrong look like a genius. Neal netted a hat trick in his first game. While the fact that Armstrong is a genius remains, Neal’s time in St. Louis has not been great.
The forward depth the Blues have has also played a part in his demotion to the taxi squad. Neal has just four points in 17 games this year, while other younger players have performed better in less time.
Neal has had a great career. Of course, you don’t luck into 296 goals and 559 points, but his injury history has affected his performances in recent years, which was why he was signed for just $750,000 this offseason.
However, his illustrious career makes his case even more intriguing after clearing waivers. To have a player with years of NHL experience waiting in the wings at the AHL level could be an incredible advantage for St. Louis.
Neal could benefit from constant playing time in the AHL, where he hasn’t played since playing for the Manitoba Moose in 2008-09 after making his NHL debut for the Dallas Stars.
The former second-round pick by the Stars in 2005 needs to blow through the competition in Springfield to have a chance to be recalled from St. Louis. We’ll see if Neal makes it to Springfield or if the Blues want him sitting on the taxi squad.
The Blues also have the flexibility to pull off a Kyle Clifford-type move and trade Neal for a high-round pick in the draft. However, the clearance through waivers gives the impression that most teams are not interested at the moment.
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There’s a good chance that Neal was just a bust, and it’s another sign that his career is on the decline. However, if the Blues keep losing forwards due to COVID, it doesn’t hurt to have a player of his resume waiting to step in.