Pre-Game Talk: Sens @ Jets, Sat 3 pm (automatic loss)

[OttawaSenators11]

You know how much emotion Neil has? Last game he hit........NO ONE!

Guy is a total waste of a forward.

Many teams would love to have Neil.

 

[HavlatMach9]

innocent until proven guilty. we don't know why the fight went down, sure we could try to come up with some possibilities. i'll just assume it's the normal type of fighting that may even make the team stronger

we beat the Canucks in an afternoon game and it needs to happen vs the Jets. The hope rest of the way is to win out.

 

[God Says No]

No issues with Neil's game. The issue is G-S-N playing too many minutes. It's time to double shift the lines that are going. Actually, that time was a couple months ago. PMac seem to stick to evenly distributed time for the forwards, which is a mistake.

 

[OttawaSenators11]

Not true at all. There are many games this year where his hit count is 0. Fights, 0. Penalties 1+. Complete waste.

He's dropped the gloves 10 times this year, the leader has 15 fights, and he's only gone two games this year without a hit. (which is still bad for his role)

Mind you, still far from 'many' like you claim.

 

[Benjamin]

I wonder what people expect from Neil these days? he's not paid to rack up points, lol

Blame coach for playing him too much.

Thats the problem. Maclean thinks Neil is a 2nd liner.

He's dropped the gloves 10 times this year, the leader has 15 fights, and he's only gone two games this year without a hit. (which is still bad for his role)

Mind you, still far from 'many' like you claim.

Kassian C
Neil A
Greening A

All three hit and fight. Leadership.

 

[83DIZ65]

either we win this game and go on a tear.........or its over......

 

[EssendonBombers]

Neil might lead the "modern-era" in fighting his own teammates. He's a idiot.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Many teams would love to have Neil.

Neil has been a great soldier for the Sens, but he isn't capable of performing the role any longer.

What made Chris so valuable was he was a physical presence that could play more than 5-6 minutes a night as a hockey player, now his 11 minutes is too much.

While he still does more than his share of hitting, its not realistic to expect he can be a deterrent any longer. The heavyweights are just too big and strong, Chris can't be expected to take them on and survive.

I realize he is a character guy and great in the community, but holding on too long isn't the right approach either.

Chris is 34 years old, the way he has played his body must feel like 40 or older. If Murray can trade him this summer its probably the right time to do so.

 

[83DIZ65]

....i just want neil kept under 8 mins a game.....

 

[blahblah3]

Many teams would love to have Neil.

Which is why his trade value is 0.

 

[83DIZ65]

Which is why his trade value is 0.

.....i have no problem with neil being out of ottawa...ive nearly gotten in fights just advocating it but this statement is nonsense.....he still has value....he is just impropperly used by the coaching staff here.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

No issues with Neil's game. The issue is G-S-N playing too many minutes. It's time to double shift the lines that are going. Actually, that time was a couple months ago. PMac seem to stick to evenly distributed time for the forwards, which is a mistake.

I think Smith's line got as many minutes as it did because MacLean wanted then on the ice against one of the top two lines of the opposition.

MacLean did this because our top line was a sieve defensively, as the -23 and -24 indicate.

This probably left Neil in an overmatched situation, but for the most part it worked.

Condra was probably the better choice for the Smith line the way it was being used, but that would have left the 4th line centers (Grant, Pageau, Zibby) with little to work with in Neil and Kassian.

MacLean eventually dropped Conacher to the 4th line and moved Condra/Greening up to the top six in an attempt to help out defensively and allow for better TOI distribution, but the lines stop producing offensively.

Fact is the team needs an upgrade in the bottom six every bit as much as it needs a revamp of its top six.

While many may disagree with the methods or fixes MacLean initiated, he really had too many holes to ever find a lasting solution.

 

[blahblah3]

.....i have no problem with neil being out of ottawa...ive nearly gotten in fights just advocating it but this statement is nonsense.....he still has value....he is just impropperly used by the coaching staff here.

No chance. If Conacher was placed on wavers then Neil has the same value. 0.

 

[Othello*]

Michalek Spezza Hemsky
Hoffman Turris Ryan

Looks good but then....
Greening Smith Neil
Kassian Zibanajad Condra LOOOOOL the bottom six is disgusting

 

[OttawaSenators11]

Neil has been a great soldier for the Sens, but he isn't capable of performing the role any longer.

Still seems very capable to me.

What made Chris so valuable was he was a physical presence that could play more than 5-6 minutes a night as a hockey player, now his 11 minutes is too much.

He's just got to be used in better situations.
when fans see him on the ice down 3-1 playing more than guys who are paid to score, it doesn't make him look good.
If the team is in the lead, it make sense to play him those 10-11 minutes - when they are down - not so much.

While he still does more than his share of hitting, its not realistic to expect he can be a deterrent any longer. The heavyweights are just too big and strong, Chris can't be expected to take them on and survive.

This isn't true - he fights anyone and he never put fear into the opposing teams tough guys before anyways.
While he wins some and loses some - you don't see him get the crap kicked out of him very often. Very technical fighter that for the most part avoids big punches. Still very durable do to his style.

I realize he is a character guy and great in the community, but holding on too long isn't the right approach either.

Agreed. Though he still has some left.

Chris is 34 years old, the way he has played his body must feel like 40 or older.

I am sure a lot of players have this problem even guys who don't play his role;

If Murray can trade him this summer its probably the right time to do so.

Just like any player, it depends on the value.
He's not a player you should just give away at this point.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

No chance. If Conacher was placed on wavers then Neil has the same value. 0.

Your reasoning here makes no sense. How does Neil have the same value as a completely different player that was placed on waivers when Neil was not?

 

[blahblah3]

Your reasoning here makes no sense. How does Neil have the same value as a completely different player that was placed on waivers when Neil was not?

Because the other player has way more skill and nobody wanted him?

 

[blahblah3]

I am saying they couldn't even trade Conacher. With Neil, you couldn't even get a pick for him.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Because the other player has way more skill and nobody wanted him?

What somebody was willing to trade for Connacher is irrelevant. The two are completely different players with different skill sets that play different roles.

The fact that the Sens chose to waive Connacher and not Neil should tell you something.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

I am saying they couldn't even trade Conacher. With Neil, you couldn't even get a pick for him.

You're assuming that because the Senators didn't waive or trade Neil that nobody was offering anything. What is more likely is that the Senators didn't want to waive or trade Neil.

You're making an argument based on your assumptions and opinion, nothing else.

 

[blahblah3]

You're assuming that because the Senators didn't waive or trade Neil that nobody was offering anything. What is more likely is that the Senators didn't want to waive or trade Neil.

You're making an argument based on your assumptions and opinion, nothing else.

Obviously. Can you really see a higher return for Neil than Conacher? Common.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Obviously. Can you really see a higher return for Neil than Conacher? Common.

Absolutely. A physical fourth line grinder that will score you around 10 goals a year, fight when he's needed and drop some of the biggest hits every season?

Teams like the habs would be tripping all over themselves to try to get Neil if he were available.

 

[The Waffler]

I don't get why people ***** and moan about Kassian being in the line up. He won't even get regular shifts. It just means more ice time for guys like Ryan, Hoffman, Macarthur, Hemsky etc etc when they get double shifted.

 

[StefanW]

I don't get why people ***** and moan about Kassian being in the line up. He won't even get regular shifts. It just means more ice time for guys like Ryan, Hoffman, Macarthur, Hemsky etc etc when they get double shifted.

I agree with this. There is a reason why the Sens win with Kassian in the lineup, and is in not related to his stick handling or fighting.

 

[83DIZ65]

I don't get why people ***** and moan about Kassian being in the line up. He won't even get regular shifts. It just means more ice time for guys like Ryan, Hoffman, Macarthur, Hemsky etc etc when they get double shifted.

its because of this id like him dressed for every game.