Calgary Flames: 5 burning questions for 2018-19 season

OTTAWA, ON - MARCH 09: Calgary Flames Left Wing Johnny Gaudreau (13) waits for a face-off during second period National Hockey League action between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators on March 9, 2018, at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ON, Canada. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 07: James Neal #18 of the Vegas Golden Knights takes the ice prior to the second period in Game Five of the Stanley Cup Final against the Washington Capitals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena on June 7, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/NHLI via Getty Images) /

4. Will James Neal finally slow down?

James Neal has been in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last two seasons. He’s come up short in both years, but let’s not let facts get in the way of a great accomplishment. People praise LeBron James for making eight straight Finals even though he’s 3-5. And he did it in the Eastern Conference with multiple All-Stars (last year excluded) on his team. Neal made the Final with an expansion team.

Please like my sport.

While LeBron is a cyborg who will never age, Neal is now 30 and not offering much outside of goal scoring. And even that has taken a hit in the playoffs.

Make no mistake about it, Neal is a risk for the Flames. While it seems like a foregone conclusion that he scores 30 goals again playing next to Gaudreau, it’s not. Peters’ teams haven’t exactly lit the world on fire offensively. And the Flames were at the bottom of the league in terms of goals-per-game last season.

On paper, Neal should help. He should be there to finish off the chances created by Gaudreau. He should help their power play. He should score timely goals. But “should” is a word that gets fans excited and management fired.

Neal will be 31 by the time the season starts. His performance in the playoffs left a lot to be desired. His possession numbers have dropped every season for the past four years. Things could go horribly wrong for Neal in Calgary. And Calgary will still be on the hook for nearly $6 million a season until 2023.

But things should be fine.

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