Honestly, PH straight up is still a win IMO. Neal never had that much effort and was 1 dimensional. Despite his 40g season, the Pens still sucked pretty hard in the playoffs during his time.
- sammy87

I was a big fan of Neal. I didn't like the cheap crap, but honestly had no problem with the knee to the head of Marchand.....because that dirty little POS deserves it.

I agree however, Neal was a ghost in the playoffs. If he wasn't able to get a open shot, he was useless. He did nothing but look for soft spots to get off his wicked shot. If that wasn't available he had no other dimension to his game.

Hornie isn't having much luck so far this year, but his game is exactly what the Pens need. Guy should have a letter on his jersey.

Damn strat Mattstrat, strat to the point! Strat on the strat & narrow to success!
- Aussiepenguin

I wouldn't go that far. Neal has elite talent. There's a reason Spaling was thrown into the trade too. I don't miss Neal's cheap shots or injuries but his skill set is impressive.
- jfkst1

For sure. And throw in chemistry with one of our stars and great on the Powerplay. Two things that are perpetual problems.

Not saying we shouldn't have traded him or that Hornqvist is bad centerpiece. Just simply we should have gotten at least a 2nd round pick or a Clendening level prospect in addition to Horny.

I've always thought the scoring chance stat is a farce. I mean, what constitutes a scoring chance exactly? Is a shot from the blue line a scoring chance? It has a real chance of going in. What about a shot from the centre line or defensive zone on an empty net with the oppositions goalie pulled? How about a shot from the high slot that gets blocked by a defenders leg or stick? Or how about when a shot hits the post? that's not technically a shot on net...but is it a chance?
- MattStrat

For most that track them, a Scoring Chance is an unblocked shot attempt from the "home plate."

For sure. And throw in chemistry with one of our stars and great on the Powerplay. Two things that are perpetual problems.

Not saying we shouldn't have traded him or that Hornqvist is bad centerpiece. Just simply we should have gotten at least a 2nd round pick or a Clendening level prospect in addition to Horny.
- YouMeAndDupuis9

He was very good on the PP too. Lack of chemistry right now is probably the biggest problem with the Pens top 6.