| 23 June 2009
Ottawa Gingerless?
According to the Sun's Bruce Garrioch, Chris Neil and his representatives have turned down an alleged 4 year deal worth $6.8M. Count your blessings Bryan Murray. First Heatley's trade request and now Neil's hitting the road. That's $9.2M in cap room right there. If you really want a laugh, Bruce is reporting that Neil's camp have come done from their original request of $2.5M per annum. I hope Chris enjoys taking his Dumb Penalty Face down the 401, because with his reduced production and Ottawa's lack of a goon, the only way Neil's going to come back to haunt the Sens is if he convinces his buddy Mike Fisher to leave town. (Even then, some might argue that's not a bad thing.)
Perhaps the best part of this news isn't the fact that Ottawa will have more money to play with this offseason, it's that Neil will no longer be used as a spokesmen for local radio commercials.
Oh and for those who say you can't replace Neil with Cody Bass. It's true. Bass isn't a legitimate fighter. However, if you look at their ice-time proportionately (requires some math and due diligence), you'll find that Bass outhits Neil. If the kid can outhit, outskate and outproduce Neil given proportionate minutes, who the fuck cares if he isn't a legit fighter. Neil wasn't even a legit heavyweight. Find an alternative via free agency and move on.
More Garrioch
In the same piece, Boo Boo mentions that the Sens have fruitlessly tried to peddle Alex Auld, Jason Smith and Chris Kelly. And if you open your window and listen quietly, that sound you'll hear is an irritated Gord Wilson typing up a 7,500 word essay for his blog detailing why it's egregious that no GM in the League wants to take on a $2M salary for the smartest player in the NHL.
Bruce also mentions that Ottawa has no idea who they'll pick at #9 on Friday night. While the organization has some idea for who may be available, it's going to be a wait-and-see approach to see who slides to them after the first eight selections. According to mock-drafts, most "experts" have players like Glennie, Kadri, Larsson, Cowen, Paajarvi and Schroeder being mentioned.
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