Pittsburgh picks up Neal
Feb 23, 2011 11:32:58 GMT -5
Post by blny on Feb 23, 2011 11:32:58 GMT -5
Neal didn't go for much, really surprising cheap. Goligoski is a fine defenseman but nothing we couldn't match. Goligoski kind of in the #3 defenseman line. Letang took ice time away from him. Gonchar last year was ahead of him last yer, he's not something you would get excited about.
When you look at our d-corps I think a healthy Markov and Subban are better than Goligoski .... the closest comparable we have, IMO, is Wizniewski. Wiz has 38 points (21 on the PP), Goligoski had 31 points (17 on the PP) prior to being traded.
Would Dallas have taken Wiz? Probably not (especially seeing what we paid to get him in the first place). Although Dallas tossed in two players to get Goligoski .... that surprises me. Goligoski is good, but he is not worth a young power forward AND a decent stay at home defenseman ...
Goli has a +20 rating. I think that sold the Stars somewhat. I agree that the stat isn't always something to put stock in, but it's pretty impressive. It's 2.5 times better than his mark last year for +/-. Wiz has been a -1 for us since the trade. Not bad. He's prone to a turnover or two, but otherwise pretty sound. The 17 points in 22 games is a solid trade off.
I still think the Stars overpaid a lot. Some of their fans are saying that Niskanen is addition by subtraction, but I place a higher value on Neal. Were I the GM, I don't think I'd have traded Neal straight up for Goligoski. Letang maybe. I'd also have been trading with the knowledge that Neal is exactly what Crosby has been crying for since he got there. When Crosby returns, I think he and Neal will be a dynamic force.
