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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 2015-16. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Tyler Toffoli LAK · 58 P in 82 GP Derick Brassard NYR · 58 P in 80 GP Jonathan Toews CHI · 58 P in 80 GP Evgeni Malkin PIT · 58 P in 57 GP Phil Kessel PIT · 59 P in 82 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

2015-16 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 31 27 58 27 65 268 113 0.71 11.6 19:04

Contract

$5MCap hit2015-16
$86KCap dollars per point58 points in 82 games
$621KCap dollars per goal above replacement8.1 goals above replacement
$5.7MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$658KValueworth 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 668 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 2015-16 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.

2015-16 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+8.1Goals above replacement104th of 675 skaters, 75th of 445 forwards
+1.3Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+3.7Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 445 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+2.4 79th percentileEven-strength defence+1.0 72nd percentilePower play+0.4 79th percentilePenalty kill0.0 40th percentilePenalties+0.0 39th 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

53.5Corsi for %1216 attempts for, 1055 against
+1.6CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.0Expected goals for %45.9 expected for, 39.0 against
+0.9xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.0Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
63.9Goals for %53 for, 30 against
103.2PDO8.5% shooting + 94.7% saves
357Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 561 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
James Neal · Calle Jarnkrok · Ryan Johansen32318:5150.550.919-15
Mike Fisher · James Neal · Filip Forsberg26162:1258.965.48-5
Mike Ribeiro · James Neal · Filip Forsberg46101:5954.247.03-2
James Neal · Ryan Johansen · Filip Forsberg2771:3160.164.03-0

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.

30Goalsnot counting empty-netters
25.2Expected goalsfrom 362 unblocked attempts
+4.8Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.97 expected goals per 60 minutes89th
Shot quality 7.0% chance per attempt34th
Finishing +4.8 goals above expected89thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 412 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0102030Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 30Expected 25.2

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 9, 2016 @ DAL L 2-3 0 1 1 -1 0 5 3 20:08
Apr 7, 2016 vs ARI W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 4 0 19:22
Apr 5, 2016 vs COL W 4-3 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 15:38
Apr 2, 2016 vs SJS L 2-3 (SO) 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 20:24
Mar 31, 2016 @ PIT L 2-5 1 1 2 2 0 5 4 18:19
Mar 29, 2016 @ DAL L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 6 3 21:05
Mar 28, 2016 vs COL L 3-4 0 0 0 -1 0 8 3 23:09
Mar 26, 2016 vs CBJ W 5-1 1 1 2 1 0 5 0 17:25
Mar 24, 2016 vs VAN W 3-2 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 23:47
Mar 21, 2016 vs LAK W 5-2 1 1 2 2 0 3 3 15:45
Mar 18, 2016 @ WSH L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 18:36
Mar 17, 2016 vs NYI W 4-2 1 1 2 1 0 3 0 18:20
Mar 14, 2016 @ EDM W 3-2 3 0 3 3 0 4 0 17:07
Mar 12, 2016 @ VAN L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:40
Mar 9, 2016 @ CGY L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 1 2 3 3 17:49
Mar 8, 2016 @ WPG W 4-2 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 14:06
Mar 5, 2016 @ COL W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 5 2 18:00
Mar 3, 2016 vs NJD L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 21:47
Mar 1, 2016 vs DAL W 5-3 1 1 2 1 0 6 0 15:20
Feb 27, 2016 vs STL W 5-0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 17:43
Feb 25, 2016 @ CHI W 3-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 4 18:13
Feb 23, 2016 @ TOR W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 15:15
Feb 22, 2016 @ MTL W 2-1 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 4 1 21:34
Feb 20, 2016 vs LAK L 1-2 (OT) 0 1 1 -1 0 2 2 18:30
Feb 18, 2016 vs BOS W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15:54
Feb 15, 2016 vs DAL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 0 1 2 19:51
Feb 13, 2016 @ FLA W 5-0 1 1 2 1 0 6 1 17:35
Feb 12, 2016 @ TBL L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 4 2 17:34
Feb 9, 2016 vs WSH L 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 21:55
Feb 6, 2016 vs SJS W 6-2 1 0 1 2 0 3 0 17:21
Feb 4, 2016 vs PHI L 3-6 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 25:19
Feb 2, 2016 vs STL L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 20:37
Jan 27, 2016 @ CGY W 2-1 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 20:33
Jan 26, 2016 @ VAN W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 19:57
Jan 23, 2016 @ EDM W 4-1 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 18:28
Jan 21, 2016 @ WPG W 4-1 1 1 2 1 0 5 1 17:48
Jan 19, 2016 vs CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 2 5 0 22:06
Jan 16, 2016 vs MIN W 3-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 18:52
Jan 14, 2016 @ WPG L 4-5 (OT) 1 1 2 2 6 4 1 19:53
Jan 12, 2016 @ CHI L 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 8 3 21:30
Jan 9, 2016 @ ARI L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 3 19:24
Jan 8, 2016 @ COL L 3-5 0 0 0 2 0 3 1 19:11
Jan 5, 2016 vs WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 22:57
Jan 2, 2016 @ CAR W 2-1 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 19:46
Dec 31, 2015 @ DAL L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 18:35
Dec 29, 2015 @ STL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 4 21:24
Dec 28, 2015 vs NYR W 5-3 2 0 2 2 0 4 1 16:30
Dec 26, 2015 vs DET L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 20:33
Dec 21, 2015 vs MTL W 5-1 0 1 1 3 0 0 0 16:38
Dec 19, 2015 vs MIN W 3-2 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 18:05
Dec 17, 2015 @ STL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 21:02
Dec 15, 2015 vs CGY L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 19:05
Dec 12, 2015 vs COL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 21:09
Dec 10, 2015 vs CHI W 5-1 2 0 2 2 0 6 0 20:43
Dec 8, 2015 @ CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 15:48
Dec 7, 2015 @ BOS W 3-2 0 0 0 0 4 2 1 19:10
Dec 5, 2015 @ DET L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 18:49
Dec 3, 2015 vs FLA L 1-2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 24:03
Dec 1, 2015 vs ARI W 5-2 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 21:26
Nov 28, 2015 vs BUF L 1-4 0 1 1 -1 0 3 0 18:46
Nov 27, 2015 @ PHI L 2-3 (OT) 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 21:48
Nov 25, 2015 @ BUF W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 17:40
Nov 23, 2015 @ NYR L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 4 3 2 20:30
Nov 21, 2015 @ MIN L 0-4 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 17:27
Nov 20, 2015 @ CBJ L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 2 4 3 20:15
Nov 17, 2015 vs ANA W 3-2 1 0 1 0 4 3 3 17:34
Nov 14, 2015 vs WPG W 7-0 1 1 2 1 2 2 1 15:10
Nov 12, 2015 vs TOR L 1-2 (SO) 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 20:16
Nov 10, 2015 vs OTT W 7-5 0 1 1 -2 2 2 0 21:28
Nov 7, 2015 vs STL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 2 6 2 19:29
Nov 5, 2015 @ MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 2 4 5 3 15:54
Nov 1, 2015 @ ANA L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 22:49
Oct 31, 2015 @ LAK L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 5 1 19:28
Oct 28, 2015 @ SJS W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 17:20
Oct 24, 2015 vs PIT L 1-2 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 17:54
Oct 22, 2015 vs ANA W 5-1 0 1 1 1 2 3 0 16:37
Oct 20, 2015 vs TBL W 5-4 (SO) 2 1 3 3 2 8 1 20:28
Oct 17, 2015 @ OTT W 4-3 (SO) 2 0 2 -2 0 5 3 22:33
Oct 15, 2015 @ NYI L 3-4 1 1 2 1 0 5 3 16:31
Oct 13, 2015 @ NJD W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 15:59
Oct 10, 2015 vs EDM W 2-0 0 0 0 1 4 1 4 15:40
Oct 8, 2015 vs CAR W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 5 3 16:42