Don’t look now, but the Calgary Flames just won the 2019 Stanley Cup

By signing James Neal, the Calgary Flames have guaranteed a Stanley Cup victory in 2018-19.

Congratulations, Calgary Flames; you just won the 2019 Stanley Cup.

While may seem a bit premature to etch the names of Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano onto Lord Stanley’s Cup, it’s really not. By signing James Neal, the Flames have guaranteed an end of season photo opportunity with Gary Bettman.

Let’s go back just over a decade. A man by the name of Marian Hossa was acquired by the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2008 trade deadline. Alongside Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Hossa would help lead the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins lost in six games.

In the offseason, Hossa joined the Red Wings on a one-year deal. This is where Kevin Durant got the idea that it was okay to join the team that beat you. The NBA copies a lot from the NHL. Please like my sport. Back to the story. Hossa joined Detroit and helped them get back to the Final. They lost in seven games to the Penguins.

Not wanting to go back to Pittsburgh or Detroit in the offseason, Hossa joined the team he beat in the Conference Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks. The following season, after three straight trips to the Finals on three different teams, Hossa would finally win a Cup.

Which brings us back to Neal. Two seasons ago, he was part of a Nashville Predators team that lost in six game in the Cup Finals. Nashville left him unprotected in the expansion draft, paving the way for him to arrive in Vegas. Their magical season ended after five games in the Finals against the Washington Capitals.

Now, he’s in Calgary. Unlike Hossa, who signed on with powerhouse teams to give himself the best shot, Neal is working his magic in a different way. He’s lifting teams that appear to have no shot. The Predators were the last team to qualify for the playoffs in 2017. No one expected Vegas to win more than 25 games in 2018. Neal took them both the Final.

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The Flames missed the playoffs last season. Mike Smith is their current No. 1 goaltender. They have a new head coach, one that has never made the playoffs. Most believe they lost the trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. Things don’t look great in Calgary.

But this is what James Neal does.