Chris Neil won’t be traded because Chris Neil doesn’t feel like it

CALL OFF THE CHRIS NEIL DERBY YOU GUYS!

Truth be told, there’s apparently “a ton of interest” in the 35-year-old fourth line forward for the Ottawa Senators.

Sure, he plays a “slightly more than Colin Greening did” average of 9:59 per game and has seven points in 33 games with 56 penalty minutes; and sure, he’s a disgustingly bad possession player at even strength. But he’s fun at parties, we've heard.

Anyhoo, Neil has played his entire career with the Ottawa Senators, beginning in 2001. So there’s a measure of loyalty to him and his family, which is admirable if not exactly logical from a player personnel perspective, given that he has another year on his deal at $1.9 million and the Senators need to reload.

But Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun reports that we can take Chris Neil off our NHL trade deadline big boards:

#sens not trading Chris Neil. Out of respect, asked him if he wanted to be dealt. He doesn't. — Don Brennan (@SunDoniB) February 4, 2015

So there you go: Chris Neil is basically the new Mats Sundin, if Mats Sundin was a fourth-liner who played under 10 minutes a night and had 12 goals in his last 109 games. And, like, a little more hair.

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