Neal has had a short summer to heal and move. He still needs 2-4 more weeks to recover from surgery. But once he's ready, he should play with center Vadim Shipachyov, a 30-year-old free agent who put up big numbers in the Kontinental Hockey League.
"He's a guy who loves to pass the puck," Neal said. "I'm looking forward to that. For me to be able to be a shooter and to have a guy like that who's a left-handed shot that's going to be looking for you all the time is exciting."
This is an opportunity. The better Neal plays, the better for everyone. The Golden Knights will sign him or trade him to a contender. He'll end up with a new contract in Vegas or elsewhere. The expansion draft rules were designed to make the Golden Knights competitive, right? He is a big part of that and not alone.
"I think it's fun," Neal said. "I think just controlling the things you can control and having fun with it and playing in the best league in the world, new team, it's all good stuff. So enjoy it, and hopefully we win some games and push to be in a playoff spot.
"I think this is a little bit of a different expansion team. We've got good players here. I think in the past, it hasn't been this caliber. You don't get a goalie like [Marc-Andre Fleury] in an expansion draft. That's the most important position in hockey, really. You have a great goaltender, and you build from that position out. We've got some great defensemen, and we've got some skilled forwards. So we'll see what happens."