James Neal was a First Team All-Star for Pittsburgh in 2012, and three years later, he was traded to Nashville.

Neal was not as productive in terms of Points with Nashville as he was with the Penguins, but he provided depth and leadership to a Predators squad that reached their first Stanley Cup Final in 2017, although they lost to his former team.  Neal played for Nashville for three seasons, scoring 136 Points, which is a solid number.

Neal left Nashville when the Vegas Golden Knights chose him in the Expansion Draft.

James Neal was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins close to the 2011 trade deadline, and it was the year after that when he would put forth his best year in professional hockey.