Impressive run wins Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward, James Neal, $30 million six-year deal – NHL News
The impressive current year run of Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward, James Neal, has paid him off in form of a six-year multimillion dollars deal from his team.
Apparently, the reward marks an extraordinary turnaround by the player who, a year earlier, had many difficulties in finding a role in the team.
Neal is on a 30-goal streak, just behind Penguins’ Malkin who has scored 32 goals this season. As a result of his excellent performance, the team has offered him a new deal of worth $30 million for next six seasons.
He gets the new deal from his team about a year after he came to the Pittsburgh in a Penguins’ trade with the Dallas Stars in exchange for their defenseman, Alex Goligoski.
Earlier, he found it very difficult to fit in a role in the team but this season proved to be a great success for him. He has already scored 56 points and is tied for the lead position on the National Hockey League (NHL) with 13 power-play goals.
He said:
"Obviously, it didn't work out right away. But coming into this year, starting over, having a good feeling of things, things falling into place, it's been a great feeling."
His coach, Dan Bylsma, remained persistent with the player, hoping that he would find his form and touch at some point in the season.
"Although he didn't put up points, you saw the way James Neal could play," the coach said.
He added:
"He's a dangerous player. He can skate. He's a physical player. And he also obviously can shoot the lights off the puck. He's done all those things."
The player with his record performance this season has proved the coach to be true to his words, and at the end of his first year stay at Penguins, he has now been rewarded with a contract extension until 2017-18 season.
While confirming signing of the renewed deal with Penguins, he has expressed excitement over the opportunity of playing for the team for a longer period of time. This has helped him avoid becoming free agency after the deadline of February 27, 2012.
"I love everything about what goes on here and how we play the game," Neal said. "I couldn't see myself anywhere else, and hopefully the success continues."
Neal has been remarkably consistent with his form during the entire current season. He had been on an eight-point streak and had managed to open each of his team’s first eight home games with a goal.
It had been quite a different story for him a year earlier, as he had managed only one goal and five assists in his first 20 games. His latest form and performance has impressed his teammates, who find it an added support in the improvement their level of
game.
Tags: