When Pittsburgh Penguins’ GM Ray Shero dealt everyday defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas for James Neal and Matt Niskanen last February, it was the consensus that Shero had put one over on Dallas GM Joe Nieuwendyk.
Given the deal, many believed Shero had incriminating photos of Nieuwendyk hidden in a desk drawer somewhere in the CONSOL Energy Center.
Goligoski was often panned in Pittsburgh for indecisiveness and poor defensive play. Meanwhile, Neal was an annual 20-goal scorer, the long-awaited “winger for Sidney Crosby,” and Niskanen could be, at worst, a warm body to replace Goligoski’s spot in the third defensive pairing.
However, a pair of lackluster playoff performances from Neal and Niskanen left many reassessing those initial analyses.
After 34 games this season, the deal again looks like an absolute steal.
Neal has blossomed into the sniping winger the Penguins haven’t had since Petr Sykora fell out of favor with the team in 2009. Niskanen...
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