Oilers trade Lucic to Flames for Neal
The Edmonton Oilers have traded forward Milan Lucic and a conditional 2020 third-round pick to the Calgary Flames in exchange for forward James Neal, the teams announced Friday.
Edmonton will retain 12.5 percent of Lucic's remaining contract, dropping his cap hit with the Flames from $6 million to $5.25 million. Neal's deal, meanwhile, carries an average annual value of $5.75 million. Both players have four seasons remaining on their contracts.
There are multiple conditions attached to the draft pick, according to Sportsnet's Mark Spector:
Two conditions have to be met for Oilers to send 3rd round pick to Calgary - James Neal has to record at least 21 goals and Lucic scores at least 10 fewer goals than Neal.
— Mark Spector (@SportsnetSpec) July 20, 2019
The trade offers fresh starts for two veteran talents coming off career-low campaigns. Neal struggled in his first season with the Flames, recording just seven goals and 19 points in 63 games, while Lucic mustered only six goals and 20 points in 79 games with the Oilers.
Until last season, Neal had hit the 20-goal mark in every campaign of his career. The Oilers are in need of depth up front, and pairing Neal with either Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl could help revive his scoring punch.
Lucic hasn't been a reliable scoring threat for a few seasons, but the 31-year-old brings toughness and leadership to a Flames team loaded with young stars.