Sens/Neil closer than we thought?

This is one thing I have always been very firm with and that's loyalty. What Neil has done for the Sens cannot and should not be ignored. I dont think a guy like Bass should get a spot over Neil (as much as I love Bass) or even a guy like Donovan.

Throwing Neil out on his Donkey is wrong, there are only a handful of guys in Ottawa who know what it is like to truly be a Senator and how much it means to be in Ottawa. That is as important as anything in terms of leadership going forward. You think guy's like Spezza and Heatley give a damn? Hell no. Those are the last two guys I would want our young guys around.

Hockeyhero22000 wrote:you may not be sold on the young guns but we need to start letting the young guys come up and play in the big club

oh, completely agree.

Phoenix30 wrote:

cash wrote:
For me, anyone who wants to trade Kelly and wants to re-sign Neil just has a very strange view of this teams needs.

I am curious as to why you would compare Kelly to Neil. They are 2 different types of players. Like Neil, Kelly's entagibles could be replaced by a younger player.

I'm not comparing their styles of play. I'm contrasting their relative value to the team. Anyone who thinks Neil does more for the team than Kelly does just doesn't watch hockey properly. Kelly is a premiere defensive forward who thinks the game at an extremely high pace and is almost always in the right position. If he had any semblance of touch, he'd be a 5 million dollar player easy!

Its about roster positions...There's always a spot on my team for Kelly; Neil, not so much...

Neely4Life wrote:This is one thing I have always been very firm with and that's loyalty. What Neil has done for the Sens cannot and should not be ignored. I dont think a guy like Bass should get a spot over Neil (as much as I love Bass) or even a guy like Donovan.

Throwing Neil out on his Donkey is wrong, there are only a handful of guys in Ottawa who know what it is like to truly be a Senator and how much it means to be in Ottawa. That is as important as anything in terms of leadership going forward. You think guy's like Spezza and Heatley give a damn? Hell no. Those are the last two guys I would want our young guys around.

You have a valid argument there, but at some point the on ice product has to take precedence. I don't know how else to say it... Loyalty is important, but if you're committing long-term money to a player, he'd better add a heck of a lot to your team.

Neely4Life wrote:
...

If an organization can throw someone out to pasture just like that, who has given his heart to everything The Ottawa Senators represent, its a message that will be heard loud and clear throughout the league, especially for guys like Neil. The last thing this team wants is to become one of those organizations that just signs UFA's for 3 years or less and just plays to keep its head above water.

When there are so many character issue's in Ottawa and this is a guy that the team doesnt want to sign, it says more about the organization than anyone can possibly imagine.

...

I edited/cut only to avoid an excessively long quote, but this was perfectly said.

Murray needs to sign Neil, not for what he brings on the ice, but for what he represents. Neil knows this, yet his asking price has come down - he is showing the depth of his character and commitment.

He turns 35 on June 18, 2014 - best option is to sign a contract that ends July 1, 2014 i.e. a 5-yr deal at cap hit of about $1.5-1.6. Whether or not he is fit to continue playing, the re-up occurs before 35, so retirement, etc still isn't an issue, and you can sign him again (perhaps a front-loaded deal, so he can retire after 1 year if necessary).

He becomes a Senator for life, so he's happy. The image to the league/players is golden, and (most) fans are happy.

If Neil couldnt play the game, or contribute day in and day out, I would agree. You know exactly what you're getting with Neil, there is no risk and no gamble, like I said before.

He is taking up at most 3% of the cap, and thats being generous. Neil has proven himself to be durable, hard working, loyal, and consistant with the game he plays.

He isnt a useless piece or just some token player that cant play the game. There still has to be loyalty to certain players, especially if that player is being more than reasonable.

Acrobat wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:
...

If an organization can throw someone out to pasture just like that, who has given his heart to everything The Ottawa Senators represent, its a message that will be heard loud and clear throughout the league, especially for guys like Neil. The last thing this team wants is to become one of those organizations that just signs UFA's for 3 years or less and just plays to keep its head above water.

When there are so many character issue's in Ottawa and this is a guy that the team doesnt want to sign, it says more about the organization than anyone can possibly imagine.

...

I edited/cut only to avoid an excessively long quote, but this was perfectly said.

Murray needs to sign Neil, not for what he brings on the ice, but for what he represents. Neil knows this, yet his asking price has come down - he is showing the depth of his character and commitment.

He turns 35 on June 18, 2014 - best option is to sign a contract that ends July 1, 2014 i.e. a 5-yr deal at cap hit of about $1.5-1.6. Whether or not he is fit to continue playing, the re-up occurs before 35, so retirement, etc still isn't an issue, and you can sign him again (perhaps a front-loaded deal, so he can retire after 1 year if necessary).

He becomes a Senator for life, so he's happy. The image to the league/players is golden, and (most) fans are happy.

At the end of the day, if they dont resign Neil and his demands were what was being talked about here, I'll be more than furious. If on top of that a guy like Comrie is resigned or someone with so little character comes in, in place of Neil, I'll be totally disgusted.

All that said, I dont think that's the case and BM will resign Neil and let Comrie walk.

This is symptomatic of what is wrong with the Sens. They have had long stretches of apathetic play in each of the last three seasons, yet management seems content to bring back the same old gang year after year. This team finished 22nd in the NHL and did not have a realistic chance at the playoffs once December ended.

3 years @ 1.4 is overpayment, but some fans like Neil, and he puts bums in seats and sells jerseys. I guess it make sense, but how many third and fourth line players does one organization need?

If he wants a NTC, I wouldn't pay him a penny over 1 million per year.

If you want to be able to attract the UFAs, you have to show that you will take care of the players you already have (assuming they show a real commitment to you).

Signing Neil shows that, and would be another step towards building the organizational reputation that causes players to do what Hossa did.

(Winning is good too).

dennycrane wrote:This is symptomatic of what is wrong with the Sens. They have had long stretches of apathetic play in each of the last three seasons, yet management seems content to bring back the same old gang year after year. This team finished 22nd in the NHL and did not have a realistic chance at the playoffs once December ended.

3 years @ 1.4 is overpayment, but some fans like Neil, and he puts bums in seats and sells jerseys. I guess it make sense, but how many third and fourth line players does one organization need?

If he wants a NTC, I wouldn't pay him a penny over 1 million per year.

How do the Sens have the same players year after year? Emery? Havlat? Chara? Hossa? Redden? Corvo? Eaves? Stillman? Gerber? Hasek? Vermette? Scheafer? Meszaros? Hardly the same players year after year.

We have to be talking Ruutu money here. Maybe 1.5 - at the very most 1.6. I've said from day one that at the price, the Sens should think long and hard about signing him. He's not a prospect like Bass or Smith, he's been here for years and years and years and it's not like he's getting too old or anything. He's resigned way before July 1 IMO. Murray knows the kind of team he's building - and it includes Chris Neil.

dennycrane wrote:This is symptomatic of what is wrong with the Sens. They have had long stretches of apathetic play in each of the last three seasons, yet management seems content to bring back the same old gang year after year. This team finished 22nd in the NHL and did not have a realistic chance at the playoffs once December ended.

3 years @ 1.4 is overpayment, but some fans like Neil, and he puts bums in seats and sells jerseys. I guess it make sense, but how many third and fourth line players does one organization need?

If he wants a NTC, I wouldn't pay him a penny over 1 million per year.

Are you saying that bringing back a player like Chris Neil is what is wrong with the team? Maybe Chris had a game or two off last season, but if you are talking about apathetic play you have to change the "2" into a "1" and look at #15 instead.