There is one difference, I think, between veteran defenseman Chris Phillips and veteran forward Chris Neil. Phillips has been handed ice-time on a silver platter because of the team's generally weak defensive corps, and the reality that there just aren't very many guys in the system that can handle minutes against NHL forwards. Phillips can't handle it either -- he has been replacement level for a couple of years now -- but it's, to some degree, understandable why the coaching staff prefers the veteran mistakes over the rookie ones.
Phillips caught a ton of flak for last year's nightmarish defensive season, and I guess it's kind of unfortunate. This is a guy who has put a lot of time and work into being a seventeen-year professional, which is really an amazing feat. Such a small percentage of players can accomplish that league-wide. He may be horrific now, but he wasn't always replacement level. I'm terrified of what the next two years brings (and would vehemently argue that Bryan Murray's extension of him in March was absolutely insane), but I still appreciate the guy who was as steady as they come on the back-end many moons ago.
Some of that can be said of Chris Neil. He's obviously carved out a niche for himself some time ago as a brawler that can play a regular shift, but much like Phillips, the "regular shift" part of that has long disappeared. He and the much-younger Colin Greening were the team's worst regular forwards by a country mile.
What makes Neil's situation troubling -- he, also confusingly, is under contract for two more seasons -- is that there are many, many forwards in the Ottawa system that can probably work into Neil's thirteen or fourteen minutes a night and contribute more. Ottawa's words, not mine. From ownership to the front office, the one consistent message delivered is that there are many young forwards banging down the door and ready to steal ice-time. For Ottawa, this is an obvious problem, doubly-so in that their most replaceable talents are on multi-year contracts.
I get Ottawa's position about Neil: They love what he does off of the ice, they love that he's willing to go into every scrum after the whistle (which, evidently, becomes more important with Matt Kassian gone from the organization), and think he's hard to play against.
I don't know first-hand the first part is true, but in these instances, I always give the benefit of the doubt and assume such is correct. The second part is definitely true -- as much as I think the role of fighting is pointless in hockey, it's clear that he's now the guy to go with someone else next season and beyond. The third part I'll argue -- perhaps he's a machine in the weight room, but far, far too often, we've seen Neil (and his line in general) loaf around the defensive zone with not a care in the world.
That's probably the biggest myth about that player, and that line in general. That they are an energy/checking line that plays hard and makes life miserable for the opposition. Counterpoint: they are an absolute tire fire in the defensive zone, they don't play hard (if they're playing hard, they're playing dumb), they gift-wrap so, so many power-plays to the other side, and they are always out-possessed and out-scored. In fact, the only thing I believe Neil, et al. do well is cycle in the offensive zone, and generate attack time once they win back control off of a dump-in. Other than that, it's mostly a disaster.
Now, I've got time for Zack Smith as the team's fourth-line center, third if necessary. I've long suspected that he's being dragged down by Chris Neil and Colin Greening, who are for my money, the two players in most need of replacement by next season. Greening's not going anywhere, but I think there's a very good case to be made that Chris Neil should be brought along as the team's thirteenth-forward, molded into the true enforcer role for the final years of his career. If the team needs a fighter, he's there.
Otherwise, perhaps the team should look at one of a half-dozen forwards in their system that can not get absolutely drilled at even-strength.
Tricky situation, but one I think the club needs to address this summer. They can bury their head in the sand and pretend the veterans aren't getting killed out there. But they are.