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James Neal

#81 · Left wing · St. Louis Blues

Born Sep 3, 1987 in Whitby, Ontario, CAN · 6'3", 212 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 33rd overall in 2005 by DAL (round 2)

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2014-15. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Brad Richards CHI · 37 P in 76 GP Evgeny Kuznetsov WSH · 37 P in 80 GP Nino Niederreiter MIN · 37 P in 80 GP Sean Couturier PHI · 37 P in 82 GP Nathan MacKinnon COL · 38 P in 64 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

0204060802008-09: 37 points3708-092009-10: 55 points5509-102010-11: 45 points4510-112011-12: 81 points8111-122012-13: 36 points3612-132013-14: 61 points6113-142014-15: 37 points3714-152015-16: 58 points5815-162016-17: 41 points4116-172017-18: 44 points4417-182018-19: 19 points1918-192019-20: 31 points3119-202020-21: 10 points1020-212021-22: 4 points421-22

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2008-09 DAL 77 24 13 37 -11 51 171 194 0.48
2009-10 DAL 78 27 28 55 -5 64 200 174 0.71
2010-11 DAL 59 21 18 39 8 60 160 120 0.66 $2.875M
2010-11 PIT 20 1 5 6 -1 6 52 39 0.30
2011-12 PIT 80 40 41 81 6 87 329 108 1.01 $2.875M
2012-13 PIT 40 21 15 36 5 26 136 56 0.90 $5M
2013-14 PIT 59 27 34 61 15 55 238 58 1.03 $5M
2014-15 NSH 67 23 14 37 12 57 221 71 0.55 $5M
2015-16 NSH 82 31 27 58 27 65 268 113 0.71 $5M
2016-17 NSH 70 23 18 41 -10 35 202 84 0.59 $5M
2017-18 VGK 71 25 19 44 -11 24 202 44 0.62 $5M
2018-19 CGY 63 7 12 19 -5 28 141 46 0.30 $5.75M
2019-20 EDM 55 19 12 31 -20 12 112 88 0.56 $5.75M
2020-21 EDM 29 5 5 10 -2 11 51 26 0.34 $5.75M
2021-22 STL 19 2 2 4 -1 0 31 17 0.21 $750K
14 seasons Career 869 296 263 559 7 581 2514 1238 0.64

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2010-11 PIT 7 1 1 2 -1 6 20 8 0.29
2011-12 PIT 5 2 4 6 -3 12 28 11 1.20
2012-13 PIT 13 6 4 10 -3 8 51 17 0.77
2013-14 PIT 13 2 2 4 2 24 49 17 0.31
2014-15 NSH 6 4 1 5 0 8 25 21 0.83
2015-16 NSH 14 4 4 8 1 8 47 35 0.57
2016-17 NSH 22 6 3 9 -8 14 67 49 0.41
2017-18 VGK 20 6 5 11 0 12 64 49 0.55
2018-19 CGY 4 0 0 0 -3 0 7 11 0.00
2019-20 EDM 4 2 1 3 3 0 11 6 0.75
2020-21 EDM 2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 8 0.00
11 seasons Playoffs 110 33 25 58 -13 92 372 232 0.53

2014-15 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
67 23 14 37 12 57 221 71 0.55 10.4 18:05

Contract

$5MCap hit2014-15
$135KCap dollars per point37 points in 67 games
$823KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.1 goals above replacement
$4.2MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$794KValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 649 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Who signed him to it, and when, are not on record. When it ends is not known.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2021-22 to 2021-22 $750K
2020-21 to 2020-21 $5.75M
2018-19 to 2022-23 $5.75M
2012-13 to 2017-18 $5M
2010-11 to 2011-12 $2.875M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2014-15 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2014-15 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+6.1Goals above replacement169th of 665 skaters, 121st of 432 forwards
+1.0Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+2.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 432 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+3.8 85th percentileEven-strength defence+0.2 48th percentilePower play-1.7 1st percentilePenalty kill+0.0 57th percentilePenalties+0.5 55th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-50510152010-112012-132014-152016-172018-192020-21Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

57.2Corsi for %1089 attempts for, 816 against
+5.6CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.9Expected goals for %40.6 expected for, 30.8 against
+2.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
60.5Goals for %52 for, 34 against
101.6PDO9.4% shooting + 92.2% saves
345Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 585 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Mike Ribeiro · James Neal · Filip Forsberg44437:0860.258.026-11
Mike Fisher · James Neal · Colin Wilson19173:2455.161.910-5
Mike Ribeiro · James Neal · Colin Wilson36110:3854.058.64-4
Mike Ribeiro · James Neal · Gabriel Bourque1128:1255.644.90-3

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

22Goalsnot counting empty-netters
20.7Expected goalsfrom 308 unblocked attempts
+1.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.03 expected goals per 60 minutes93rd
Shot quality 6.7% chance per attempt33rd
Finishing +1.3 goals above expected69thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 415 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 22Expected 20.7

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 11, 2015 @ DAL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 16:33
Apr 9, 2015 vs MIN L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 19:23
Apr 7, 2015 @ COL L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 0 21:00
Apr 4, 2015 vs DAL L 3-4 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 19:56
Mar 12, 2015 @ SJS L 0-2 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 17:01
Mar 9, 2015 @ ARI W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 4 5 3 19:39
Mar 7, 2015 vs WPG L 1-3 0 0 0 -2 0 4 0 21:01
Mar 5, 2015 vs NYI L 3-4 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 21:49
Mar 3, 2015 @ NJD L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 20:44
Mar 2, 2015 @ NYR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 20:57
Feb 28, 2015 vs DET L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 4 6 1 19:24
Feb 26, 2015 vs MIN L 2-4 0 0 0 -3 0 0 0 19:46
Feb 24, 2015 vs COL W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 2 15:39
Feb 22, 2015 @ BUF W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 20:32
Feb 21, 2015 @ PHI L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 17:50
Feb 19, 2015 @ NYI L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 2 3 2 15:22
Feb 17, 2015 vs SJS W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 16:20
Feb 14, 2015 vs NJD W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 18:57
Feb 12, 2015 vs WPG W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 5 2 16:16
Feb 10, 2015 vs TBL W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 17:38
Feb 8, 2015 @ FLA W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 15:33
Feb 7, 2015 vs NYR W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 15:31
Feb 5, 2015 vs ANA L 2-5 1 0 1 0 2 5 2 19:32
Feb 3, 2015 vs TOR W 4-3 0 1 1 2 2 8 0 16:12
Feb 1, 2015 @ PIT W 4-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15:09
Jan 30, 2015 @ COL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 16:24
Jan 29, 2015 @ STL L 4-5 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 17:11
Jan 27, 2015 vs COL W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 16:38
Jan 20, 2015 @ MTL L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 17:57
Jan 17, 2015 @ DET L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 17:28
Jan 16, 2015 vs WSH W 4-3 2 0 2 2 0 5 1 19:02
Jan 13, 2015 vs VAN W 5-1 0 2 2 1 2 1 0 14:34
Dec 30, 2014 vs STL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 14:23
Dec 29, 2014 @ CHI L 4-5 (SO) 2 0 2 0 0 4 1 17:09
Dec 27, 2014 vs PHI W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 13:47
Dec 23, 2014 @ BOS L 3-5 0 1 1 1 14 1 0 12:04
Dec 22, 2014 @ CBJ W 5-1 0 1 1 3 0 2 1 15:29
Dec 16, 2014 vs BOS W 3-2 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 0 20:40
Dec 13, 2014 @ SJS L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 9 4 1 18:24
Dec 11, 2014 @ ARI W 5-1 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 16:50
Dec 9, 2014 @ COL W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 6 1 18:54
Dec 6, 2014 vs CHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 22:53
Dec 4, 2014 vs STL W 4-3 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 16:52
Dec 2, 2014 @ CAR L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 16:35
Nov 29, 2014 vs CBJ W 2-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 17:22
Nov 27, 2014 vs EDM W 1-0 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 20:53
Nov 25, 2014 vs LAK W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -2 2 5 2 21:09
Nov 22, 2014 vs FLA W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 19:46
Nov 20, 2014 @ OTT L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 4 18:52
Nov 18, 2014 @ TOR W 9-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 13:26
Nov 15, 2014 vs WPG W 2-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 20:35
Nov 13, 2014 @ STL L 3-4 0 1 1 2 4 2 2 21:53
Nov 11, 2014 vs EDM W 3-2 0 1 1 2 0 10 0 20:01
Nov 8, 2014 @ STL W 2-1 1 1 2 2 0 3 2 18:41
Nov 6, 2014 @ DAL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:38
Nov 4, 2014 @ WPG L 1-3 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 19:28
Nov 2, 2014 @ VAN W 3-1 0 2 2 2 2 2 3 19:53
Oct 31, 2014 @ CGY L 3-4 2 0 2 1 0 7 1 20:18
Oct 29, 2014 @ EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 16:59
Oct 25, 2014 vs PIT L 0-3 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 18:35
Oct 23, 2014 vs CHI W 3-2 3 0 3 1 0 6 1 16:22
Oct 21, 2014 vs ARI W 4-3 (SO) 1 0 1 1 2 4 0 19:44
Oct 18, 2014 @ CHI L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 19:58
Oct 17, 2014 @ WPG W 2-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 16:42
Oct 14, 2014 vs CGY L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 18:08
Oct 11, 2014 vs DAL W 4-1 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 18:46
Oct 9, 2014 vs OTT W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 2 7 3 16:45