The Pittsburgh Penguins dealt a top scoring winger, improving their forward depth in the process. Numbers Game breaks down the trade sending James Neal to Nashville for Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. The Predators Get: RW James Neal. Neal, 26, is a power forward who has been riding high while playing on Evgeni Malkins wing for the bulk of his time in Pittsburgh. Over the past three seasons, he has scored 88 goals, which ranks fifth, behind Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos, Corey Perry and Phil Kessel. Hes also put up dominant possession stats, but a lot of that would figure to be related to the favourable ice time that he gets with Malkin. While the Predators are aiming to get more scoring in their game, they dont nearly have the playmakers to compare with Pittsburgh, so if Neal ends up playing with Mike Fisher, Colin Wilson or Calle Jarnkrok, none of them is particularly dominant offensively, so expect Neals production to dip. The question is, how far? Before he joined the Penguins, Neal had 131 points in 214 games with the Dallas Stars, a 50-point pace over an 82-game season. That should be about the baseline, with room to move up because Neal currently is a better player than he was from age 21 to 23, but we can also keep in mind that Neal has scored more than 60 points twice in his career. Neal is signed for four more years, at a cap hit of $5-million per season, so hes a reasonably-priced first line forward for the Predators. The Penguins Get: RW Patric Hornqvist and LW Nick Spaling. Hornqvist is a 27-year-old winger who has been one of the more prolific shooters in the game over the past five seasons. Hes a four-time 20-goal scorer who is most effective right around the crease, deflecting shots and knocking in rebounds. He played primarily with Mike Fisher last season (with Colin Wilson and Matt Cullen their most common linemates) and while that line was effective -- Hornqvists relative possession stats have always been really good -- its not quite as dynamic as what opportunities Hornqvist should have in Pittsburgh. If Neal is expected to see his scoring go down as a result of this trade, naturally Hornqvist should expect an uptick in his scoring numbers. He scored a career-high 53 points last season and while his on-ice shooting percentage was a career-best, it wasnt outrageous and is still below what is typical for wingers alongside Malkin or Crosby. Signed for four more years, at a cap hit of $4.25-million, Hornqvist comes a little cheaper than Neal, but not dramatically, so the Penguins have to expect that they are not going to lose much offensively. Spaling, 25, scored a career-best 32 points last season, playing a career-high 16:01 per game, and while he may not play quite as much in Pittsburgh, the hope is that he might help the Penguins bottom six forwards. However, Spalings possession stats have been rough for most of his time in Nashville, which doesnt suggest that hell be turning the tide on his own. A restricted free agent who earned $1.5-million last season, Spaling is looking at a raise, but the Penguins are probably not in position to give him a lot more money, but they need Spaling to give them more reliable minutes on the third line. It didnt come as a massive surprise that the Penguins moved Neal -- it has been rumoured as a possibility for some time -- but the return may be something of a surprise. The Penguins didnt save a bunch of money; rather, they found a couple of forwards with the hope that will help improve their depth up front. They sacrificed the most talented player in the deal, though, and that presents a certain amount of risk, particularly if Hornqvist doesnt produce at the same level. For a Nashville team that is making a concerted effort towards a more offensive style, Neal is a big addition, well worth the price they paid. Scott Cullen can be reached at
Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. . Ilonen birdied five of his closing seven holes in superb scoring conditions to end the day with a two-shot lead on the Fota Island course. Ilonen had just 26 putts on the occasion of his 300th European Tour event. . - Ryan Spooner scored twice to lead the Boston Bruins to a 6-1 victory over the New York Islanders in a preseason game Friday night. . - Roger Federer squandered a big lead and lost to No. . LOUIS -- The St.In our NBA Draft Wrap Edition of The Three Man Weave, Duane Watson and Will Strickland from TSN 1050s "1 On 1 With Will & Duane" select with the first pick in the Weave To Achieve Draft Montreal-based writer and co-host of HoopsLounge.com Marc Griffin. Well decide upside, potential, "bouncebackability", projects and projections after a wild night in the borough of Brooklyn. What grade does Raptors President & GM Masai Ujiri get for his first draft in Toronto? Griffin: Incomplete. Watching Ujiri talk about Bruno Caboclo, he seems like a GM "once bitten, twice shy" after not stealing The Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo in the draft last year. Im really befuddled by this. I spoke to my man Mota Elb (@MotaElb) who played in the same Brazilian League as Bruno. Mota said hes a good talent, but not a great talent compared to who hes facing down there. Its a very odd pick at #20 with guys like Shabazz Napier still on the board. ...But in the end, "In Masai We Trust". International scouting is something Ujiri is exceptional at, so we have to wait and see with this one. Strickland: Is "Work In Progress" a real grade? I have to issue an incomplete. Pretty sure anytime you hear that your first round draft pick is "two years away from being two years away", it doesnt instill fan confidence in the quality of the selection. The Brazilian Kevin Durant, Bruno Caboclo, will have the opportunity to prove all the naysayers wrong as Ujiri wont stash him away in Europe, bringing him to Toronto to begin the process now. Watson: Incomplete. While the selection of Bruno Caboclo left everyone scratching their heads, it remains to be seen if he will be the next Kevin Durant or the next Rafael Araujo. Ujiris track record at the helm of the Raptors has earned him the benefit of the doubt. How DeAndre Daniels and Caboclo pan out in the short term will define Ujiris grade. With a Canadian going #1 in the NBA Draft for the second year in a row, what does this say for the future of basketball in Canada? Griffin: I love the moment when ESPN put up banners of Wiggins, Stauskas, and Ennis, while Bill Simmons & Jalen Rose called out Americas youth to pick up their game or start playing hockey. It was a backhanded compliment to how much basketball has grown in Canada. This is not a flash in the pan; this is not a fluke. People talk about these guys as the leaders of a "Golden Generation", but I believe its something bigger than that. Canadian kids are putting down hockey sticks and picking up Naismiths game. The stats dont lie. Scouts like Tariq Sbiet are saying that our youth programs are just chalk full of excellent, high level players. Were looking at the start of movement towards Canada becoming a dominant basketball country. And the basketball globe finally has our attention. Strickland: If having the #1 pick in two straight NBA Drafts coming from above the 49th Parallel doesnt convince the rest of the hoops world that there is major talent in Canada, nothing will. With this great wealth of talent comes a greater responsibility, however. As Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Cory Joseph and other young Canadian NBAers find success in the league, the pressure on them to grow national pride for the sport will come only as a result of competing and possibly winning a medal on the global stage by or before the 2020 Olympics. Watson: It says that Canadians have the ability to go #1 just as other nations athletes can, the talent is there. The Canadian Basketball program has to develop its team to get the players to commit and play together, developing international experience in order to become a contending basketball power. After three Canadians were taken in the first 18 picks, why were no more selected? Griffin: International trade law. Nah, Im really not sure. There were 8 Canadians Draft eligible (which is amazing in its own right) and most of them will receive summer league and camp invites. Khem Birch could have possibly stayed in school another year, but hindsight is 20/20. Yet, I cant harp on this enough: Melvin Ejim will have a solid NBA career if given the opportunity in the right system. He just needs a little faith from a GM who doesnt measure talent by height alone. Overall, I expect to see the undrafted guys busting their butts this summer to land that roster spot. Now with so many Canadians in the leaggue, there is that motivation and beacon of hope here to actually live that hoop dream.dddddddddddd Strickland: If weve learned anything, it should be that this talent assessment and drafting thing is far from an exact science. Canadian hoops fans should respect the fact that there was top heavy Canadian content in this draft, with 3 of the 4 selected overall out of 8 eligible going in first 18 picks. Perspective matters. Even still, its hard to fathom that the player of the year from one of the top conferences in the country in Melvin Ejim wasnt selected at all. Watson: While only three Canadians were taken in the first 18 picks, Dwight Powells second round selection made four for a record amount of Canadians taken in the draft. It is another landmark moment for Canadian basketball, slowly showing that Canada is becoming a hotbed for hoops talent. Which team came out best in the Draft? Griffin: Orlando. I elicited the help of draft wunderkind Phil Boileau (@SportingPhil) on this one. The Magic picked up two starters who fill immediate roster needs. No one else did that. Aaron Gordon is a monster talent with athleticism, versatility, and an NBA frame. Hell figure out the league quick. Likewise, Elfrid Payton looks like a steal at #10. Small school, great hair, big heart. And hes really driven. ...Phoenix made my sneaky favorite pick of the draft taking Tyler Ennis at #18. Hes a perfect fit for their system. And for Ennis to learn from Goran Dragic who learned from Steve Nash, thats pretty damn fitting. Strickland: With obvious, easy bake nods to Cleveland and Milwaukee, as well as a dark horse pick in Phoenix, the Orlando Magic got a bigger, stronger, faster more athletic Shawn Marion in Aaron Gordon at #4 and a serious sleeper in Elfrid Payton to help Victor Olidipo harass NBA backcourts. Whether Duane Watsons buddy Jacque Vaughn is the man to lead them to great heights may be in question. But there are some serious pieces in the Magic Kingdom again, including the monster double-double machine Nikola Vuvevic. Orlando could make a 2013-2014 Washington Wizards-leap toward respectability next season. Watson: Bostons youth movement took another solid step with the addition of Marcus Smart who couldve been a lottery pick in last years draft and James Young, who stood out for the Kentucky Wildcats in the NCAA Championship game. Two players who can step in right away and help turn around the Celtics. Danny Ainge wins again. Which team fared the worst in the Draft? Griffin: Philadelphia. Go ahead and send me hate mail. Joel Embiids medical dossier scares the living tar out of me. Hes extremely talented, yes, but two stress fractures and a broken foot is red flags, loud sirens, and Sam Bowie flashbacks for me. Plus his small frame and the plopping motion of his feet as he runs, I dont like the equation at all. Listen, I think hes an all-world talent in a league that lacks dominant BIGS, but this is too huge of a risk at the #3 spot in a very deep draft. I wish him well and hate all the memes already. But talk to Anthony Bennett, Embiid has a tall mountain to climb after all these setbacks. ...On the positive side, I absolutely love Phillys new Ben Franklin logo. Yup. Thats the silver lining here. Strickland: Ok, Ok, Ok!!! Who gets to play the bad guy and say the Raptors? That said, it wont be me! Sam Hinkie doesnt care whats said about his picks for the Philadelphia 76ers. If your asset management strategy is a Fran Fraschilla quote (see: Caboclo, Bruno), may the long-suffering Sixer fan base get Tylenol and Pepto instead of pizza or burgers every time a team scores 100+ on them... and may Mr. Hinkies domicile, email address and cell phone numbers be unlisted. Watson: Oklahoma City Thunder. For a team that proved in the NBA Playoffs it needed support for their dynamic duo of Durant and Westbrook, they missed the boat. The collective response to Steven Adams being drafted last year was collective disbelief. But the Kiwi panned out to be an All-NBA Rookie Second Team selection. However, at #21 this year, Mitch McGary is a duplicate of last years pick. The Thunder has built themselves on draft picks, but Sam Presti and company whiffed on this one. The Three-Man Weave contributors are co-hosts of TSN Radio 1050s 1-on-1 with Will and Duane, Will Strickland (@WallStrizzle1) and Duane Watson (@byDuaneWatson) and guest first-round draft pick Marc Griffin (montrealmarc). ' ' '
