It was starting to look like Brad Treliving was going to have a very quiet summer. Normally active in the offseason, the Flames GM often has at least one bombshell move up his sleeve – the Dougie Hamilton trade, Travis Hamonic, etc.



This year, the big move was less about addition than subtraction. James Neal – Treliving’s big 2018 summer acquisition – stepped into an elevator shaft as a Calgary Flame, running afoul of the coach which plunged his five-year, $5.75 million contract into the “albatross” category.



The fit was so poor, I hypothesized the club would be trying to get rid of Neal through a variety of methods last month. One of the options noted was trading him for another bad contract, including Milan Lucic.



While absorbing another bad contract was the least palatable option mentioned, there are some reasons the Flames may have preferred the erstwhile Oiler over Neal as a bottom-six option for the team moving...