Player Discussion Chris Neil

[ChocolateLeclaire]

I believe I indicated it was a 7-2 game, not that he made his "statement" when it was 7-2. Point is we were not in that game and Neil (again) takes any momentum we are building and puts us on the defensive, changing the mindset.

As to specifics, I do not follow the fancy stats, as you call them. I attend the games and watch. Time and time again he is not where he should be when his assignment (player) is in our zone. Neil is slow to skate and slow to react. If you haven't seen that you've missed it.

My passion to see the younger guys play is related to the idea that we are not even close to making the Playoffs this year. It is a good time to actually play some of the deserving ones (Pageau, Prince by example) so we see what we have in the cupboard. It helps to know how good they are in order to project where they will grade out. Whether we keep them and continue to develop them or whether we include them in a trade package. If they never get a chance to play, how does management really know if they can.

Michelbot is great, I agree. His presence resonates well. Strong opinions, well written, Respectful and polite.

I expect better from mod ChoclateLeclair. And you can make your point without yelling. I was not yelling as you. Its an opinion. Do you yell at everyone who has a different opinion from you? I think not.

Me pointing out that you were wrong is not me yelling. It is simply me pointing out that you were wrong. Try not being wrong if you are trying to make a point.

 

[operasen]

Capitalizing a word is considered yelling. You persist with the vitriol. That is amazing. It is an opinion obviously different from yours.

You must be a perfect person to judge others so. Me, I wish you a nice day. I am sorry if I have offended you.

 

[operasen]

Though we may see Neil fights differently...

Lie was too strong a word, and a mischaracterization.

My apologies

Accepted. I appreciate that coming from you. I read your posts carefully.

I feel for Neil. He has given so much to the team for all of his time here. I just see him in the way of others now and his fighting is from an older era.

Borowiecki and a couple of others have to be able to handle the toughness part moving forward. If they can't, we may need a younger, quicker, Neil.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Accepted. I appreciate that coming from you. I read your posts carefully.

I feel for Neil. He has given so much to the team for all of his time here. I just see him in the way of others now and his fighting is from an older era.

Borowiecki and a couple of others have to be able to handle the toughness part moving forward. If they can't, we may need a younger, quicker, Neil.

Agreed. I think when it comes to Phillips and Neil that I'm not blind to their respective declines, I'm just more loyal to the whole body of work. I would really just like them both to be able to finish out their contracts here with respect, given everything that they have done for this team, and are still trying to do.

It's not really a lot to ask people (not meaning you) to just lay off the 12th/13th forward and 6th/7th dman until they retire. They are not harming our squad, or preventing us from doing anything really, but I imagine that they do have all kinds of lessons and stories to impart to the kids, as well as exceptional longevity in the best league on the planet, and a reasonable standard for hard work and play, given that they are both in their pro hockey twilights.

I will be bitter sweet when they are both gone, the true end of an era, and I am personally not in a rush to unceremoniously dump them as being useless drags. Loyalty goes both ways, and traditions are made and held by the dedication of the fans as well as players.

 

[Xspyrit]

Capitalizing a word is considered yelling. You persist with the vitriol. That is amazing. It is an opinion obviously different from yours.

You must be a perfect person to judge others so. Me, I wish you a nice day. I am sorry if I have offended you.

Not necessarily, I do that to put emphasis on a word. I'm usually very calm while posting (even though seem to think I'm mad or something... but sometimes my fronthead hurts a bit ), why would I yell?

Anyway, make love now guys... Uh, I mean peace out

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Capitalizing a word is considered yelling. You persist with the vitriol. That is amazing. It is an opinion obviously different from yours.

You must be a perfect person to judge others so. Me, I wish you a nice day. I am sorry if I have offended you.

I find it interesting that you consider me correcting a fact to be vitriol. I do not consider myself a perfect person. But I also do not try to purposefully be factually incorrect to make whatever point I try to make on this message board. You seem to be taking offense to something as innocuous as capitalizing a word for emphasis but I think the reality is that you've chosen to take offense because it emphasizes a different opinion than me on the usefulness of Chris Neil. Your sentence clearly implied that he dropped the gloves in a 7-2 game, but he dropped the gloves when it was 3-1. You, nor I, have any idea what affect it had on the game. Maybe it galvanized the team to score 4 more goals and not let Edmonton come back like they did last time. Either way, I didn't agree with your general point that Neil only drops the gloves when a game is out of reach. In fact, he dropped the gloves when it was 3-0 Pittsburgh the very game before and the team came back from the 3 goal deficit.

I bid you a good day as well. It seems as though you feel slighted but I am not trying to restrict your opinion. I just would like people to stop presenting inaccurate depictions of events. There is far too much of that happening lately on this board.

 

[great1]

Wayne Scanlan ‏@HockeyScanner
Chris Neil had surgery on thumb yesterday. Out 3, 4 weeks.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Just going to waste the rest of his career in mediocrity.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Just going to waste the rest of his career in mediocrity.

It's a thumb injury. If he's going to be back in 3-4 weeks, that's only a week after the deadline. He might still accept a trade since his injury isn't a question mark nor will it affect his play.

I still think he heads to Nashville this trade deadline.

 

[Very Stable Genius]

It's a thumb injury. If he's going to be back in 3-4 weeks, that's only a week after the deadline. He might still accept a trade since his injury isn't a question mark nor will it affect his play.

I still think he heads to Nashville this trade deadline.

I'm under the assumption he's staying put and if we suck again next year (which is quite likely), then MAYBE B.Murr deals him (if he is still GM).

 

[Back in Black]

Capitalizing a word is considered yelling. You persist with the vitriol.

LEAFS SUCK!

 

[DrEasy]

I don't see the hurry in dealing Neil anymore. The return will be very low at the deadline because of the uncertainty of the return time from injury. Might as well wait till the off-season or next year's trade deadline.

 

[otown]

It's a thumb injury. If he's going to be back in 3-4 weeks, that's only a week after the deadline. He might still accept a trade since his injury isn't a question mark nor will it affect his play.

I still think he heads to Nashville this trade deadline.

Can't see Neil going anywhere. The tenacity and grit that he could potentially bring to a team has been hampered greatly by the thumb injury (now with a small plate in it)! He won't be looking for any "dance partners" anytime soon! I believe the injury actually saved him from a trade.

 

[Ice-Tray]

Can't see Neil going anywhere. The tenacity and grit that he could potentially bring to a team has been hampered greatly by the thumb injury (now with a small plate in it)! He won't be looking for any "dance partners" anytime soon! I believe the injury actually saved him from a trade.

Perhaps, though Murray today said that a trade was doubtful anyways, that he didn't really want to move him, and that basically if Neil wants to stay Murray will honour that wish given all his years of service with the team.

 

[Xamar*]

Will we see him ?

 

[bert]

Will we see him ?

Not unless the series gets crazy. Hurts him that he can only play RW if he could play left I think he would have got a game in over Smith who to me has looked fairly useless.

Neil's not the fastest player and when he last played he had a hard time keeping up I found. This team moves the puck in transition very quickly now I am not sure at his age if its a great system for him to be in.

 

[pm88]

I'm torn about Neil and his value to the team. There are times where I feel he's become an anchor. There's other times when he's very useful especially in games against physical opponents..its good to have him around as he can be the type of guy that can go out there, bang some bodies around and basically send a message that Ottawa's not going to be pushed around. What other forwards do we have that do that? Smith seems to have completely abandoned that part of his game

If guys like Cowen and Gryba could do that on a consistent basis we wouldn't need Neil but both of those guys have no idea how to use their size according to the rules and I think their suspensions have completely taken out the physicality from their game. They play as though they're a foot small than they are sometimes.

I wonder if they're going to dress him for this series at all

 

[SanderSen]

This will be a call for Cameron. Neil has been a team leader, but why mess with the successful current leaders and possibly shift the atmosphere, unless Cameron sees a need for a bit more veteran presence in the roster.

The team has been pretty tight to start recent games, may be a case for an extra veteran to join the roster. Question is how does he fit, or do you look elsewhere, thinking of Michalek possibly coming back. my inclination is to not mess with anything.

 

[dpw]

our team is much softer then when we last played the scabs in the PO.

Neil is essential IMO.

 

[BigBush*]

our team is much softer then when we last played the scabs in the PO.

Neil is essential IMO.

"softer," sure. but being a big tough team did not work as soon as we got past the Habs.

MTL is a small team and i am sure they are intimidated enough without Neil

 

[SilverSeven]

I would have no issue with Neil getting 4th line duties...as long as it is that...4th line duties. Not out there on the PP or when we pull the goalie like Mac did. We could really use a guy like him against MTL IMO

 

[aragorn]

I would have no issue with Neil getting 4th line duties...as long as it is that...4th line duties. Not out there on the PP or when we pull the goalie like Mac did. We could really use a guy like him against MTL IMO

I agree, having Neil in the lineup certainly changes our team a little bit & he would be the toughest guy in the series. So would Cowen.

 

[BigBush*]

I much prefer Legwand and Chiasson playing with a skilled guy like Puenpel, Prince, or hopefully Michalek if hes good to go.

Smith on that line seems to really decrease their scoring chances, I'm sure Neil would be even worse

 

[General Zodd]

I would have no issue with Neil getting 4th line duties...as long as it is that...4th line duties. Not out there on the PP or when we pull the goalie like Mac did. We could really use a guy like him against MTL IMO

Get Neil ready! We may need him if they start the shenanigans on the ice like they did last series!

 

[Sun God Nika]

Hardcore Neil and Phillips hater,

Get Neil dressed for this series take out Chiasson(clearly the better hockey player)

MacArthur - Turris - Stone
Michalek - Zibby - Ryan
Hoffman - Pageau - Lazar
Smith - Legwand - Neil