Examining the Nashville/Pittsburgh deal for Neal.

The day of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, the Nashville Predators traded Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling to the Penguins in exchanging for winger James Neal. As a Predators fan, I thought hey this is a good deal for both teams. Now let's look at the trade in detail:

          From a Penguins view, Hornqvist scored 53 points last year in 73 games without a solidified number one centre. With the vacancy left by Neal, Hornqvist would fit on a line with Evgeni Malkin, arguably one of the best Centremen in the game. Imagine the upside Hornqvist could have with the Penguin. If he is able to tally 53 points in Nashville he can certainly get 60+ with Pittsburgh. I would even consider him an X-factor in Pittsburgh.

Hornqvist is very excited to start the season to get the opportunity to play with Crosby and Malkin. "Obviously, it's hard to say how much I can produce while playing with [Crosby and Malkin]," Hornqvist said Thursday. "I got a great opportunity in front of me, playing with two of the best centermen in the world, but I'm not going to change my game. I'm still going to go hard to the net and try to score goals around the net. Obviously, I'm so happy for this opportunity to come to this organization and a good team and have a great chance to win."

          A Predators view, James Neal is the offensive threat they have lacked for years. Many think that Neal can break the Predators scoring record (33) which is currently held by former Preds captain Jason Arnott. In Neal's first full season with the Penguins he racked up 40 goals in 80 games. Playing only 59 games last season he score 27 goals. One can only hope that he will continue his scoring ways in Nashville this upcoming season. But with that one question is raised, can he score and play like he did in Pittsburgh without Evgeni Malkin by his side? Not to shy away at the likes of Colin Wilson, Mike Fisher, Olli Jokinen, etc. but they are no Gino Malkin. Neal has said that he feels like he is come into his own the last few seasons and says he is ready to be a star.

"I think Nashville fans are going to see the most pure, natural goal scorer they've seen in the team's history in James Neal," said former Predators Steve Sullivan who played with Neal in Pittsburgh the year Neal scored 40 goals. He continued to say "I had a chance to play with James for a year in Pittsburgh, and he can score from anywhere. He's a threat on the ice all the time. He's a fast skater, he explodes out of the gates really quick. His shot release is ridiculous, so I'm hoping he can continue that and scoring some big goals."

James Neal's first conference call meeting the Nashville media for the first time:
*On playing with a team that is more offensively challenged than his former team*
"I think that's part of why I came to Nashville. You look at what Nashville did last year, playing over 50 games without their best player, and goaltender Pekka Rinne. Our defense is unbelievable, starting with Shea Weber. Things are changing here. We're going to be a more offensive team. I've talked to coach (Peter) Laviolette. Nothing but a bright future ahead. It's something I'm looking forward to, and I need to step up and be a top guy on the team and a leader and I'm ready for that challenge."

Las Vegas Expansion, Good or Bad?

“Sources close to the situation have indicated Las Vegas is a done deal, the only thing to be determined being which owner will be entitled to proclaim that he brought the first major league sports franchise to Sin City,”  -Kevin Gallagher, Vancouver Province Sports

With recent news of the NHL possibly expanding to Las Vegas, it has started to raise many questions. For starters:

1. Why the sudden change of heart Mr.. Bettman?
The sudden change of heart from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has many struck with confusion. 10 years ago when asked about the possibility of an NHL team in Sin City, he was very against the thought of having a team in such a big gambling market, which to no ones surprise wouldn't be the ideal situation, as it would most likely raise more questions about games being fixed.

2. What would happen with the Coyotes?
We all know the the Coyotes aren't in a great situation right now. With the lack of attendance and the recent ownership issues, things could be a lot better right now. They're average attendance for a game is 13,755, a league worst. So would adding another team near them be a great idea for the NHL? Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes play, is only 276 miles away from Las Vegas. Is it a long drive, of course, but it would still hurt the Coyotes market.

3. Will the marketing in Las Vegas retain over time?
Las Vegas is one of the biggest tourist areas in the world, with many different attractions. With all the turn over and the constant change of atmosphere how would that toll on an NHL team? Yes they would have a big impact on business for the Casinos, hotels and whatnot but what about the locals? Would an NHL in Vegas attract the residents of Sin City to attended a hockey game?

Nicolas Goss of NESN says it perfectly: "Three of the bottom five teams in attendance percentage during the 2013-14 season played in warm climates — Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. Filling the arena for games against the Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and other marquee franchise should be easier, but what about when the Panthers come to town?"

Aside from the problems, there is a few good things if the NHL were to expand to Vegas:
1. They already have a few potential buyers/owners for a team.Gary Bettman has stated that he has had a few calls about potential owners if a team were to move to Vegas.

2. New arena: AEG and MGM came together on a new arena project which is expected to hold around 20,000 which should be done in 2016. With a new arena being built it wouldn't just be for hockey, it would be for all sports and entertainment, so the team would go in debt to the arena anytime soon.



All comments are appreciated, new aspiring blogger!