Chris Neil: pay up or go fish?

Black Aces looks at the Chris Neil situation.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand this part of the NHL game of hockey -- the "gritty", fighty aspect of it. As I have said before, fighting can be taken out of hockey, but unless it happens with a clean up of the officiating, the attempt will be pointless.

Today there clearly is a fighting aspect to the game, and so the Senators should address the needs that this aspect generates.

As far as Chris Neil is concerned, the questions really come down to:

1. What role does Chris Neil fill?
2. What is the roll that the Senators need filled?
3. What are the Senators willing and able to pay to fill this need?
4. Is someone else willing and able to pay more for Chris Neil?

Note that the answers to all these questions may be totally irrelevant to, and perhaps contradict, each other.

Presuming that the answer to question 2 agrees with the answer to question 1, the answer to the whole Chris Neil situation is governed by question 4. If someone out there is willing to pay more than the Senators are willing to pay (or perhaps more accurately -- if Neil and his agent are willing to take a chance that such an organization is out there), then Neil should decline the Senator's offer.

My concerns revolve around the qualifier to question 3 -- are the Senators in a position to pay Neil what he is asking. Keeping in mind the big money locked up by the big three, plus the (inevitable) coming reduction in the salary cap, plus the other requirements facing the team (defense, goal, secondary scoring...), plus the Senator's reduced income, plus, plus plus...

Keeping in mind all that, can the team afford to pay Neil what he wants?

I don't know.

Creating a hockey team is all about balancing the assets, especially in our current salary cap world. If Murray thinks that money is better spent in other areas, then Neil will either take the offer or not. The fact that he is worth more to other teams doesn't really measure in to the decision from the Senators' point of view.

Based on this, I personally think that unless Neil is willing to take less than the $2 million or more he is asking (something which is generally considered to be unlikely), Murray will deal him this week. If Neil thinks this team is on the upward trail again, he might compromise with a short term deal, but my opinion is that we won't retain his services much longer.