Last week, the Columbus Blue Jackets announced the signing of veteran journeyman James Neal to a professional tryout (PTO).
Neal, who turned 35 over the weekend, is on the proverbial back nine of his career. In 2021-22, he posted 2-2-4 (G-A-PTS) in19 games with the St. Louis Blues, but never cracked their postseason lineup, instead playing for Springfield of the AHL. In 28 regular season games in Springfield, he was nearly a point-a-game player, tallying 14-12-26, and then had a productive 4-8-12 in 17 playoff games with the Thunderbirds.
That he was a free agent throughout the entirety of July and August gives us a hint about the urgency in which NHL teams were pursuing his services. So it is natural that a PTO would be in his future. It's a no-risk proposition and gives the Blue Jackets another body for their training camp.
We wrote about five unsigned forwards who may make sense as PTO candidates, and while Neal was left off the list, the concept remains. Even Stanley Cup-contending teams, like the Colorado Avalanche, used this tactic last season, bringing Jack Johnson as a training camp invite on a PTO. Today, Johnson has a Stanley Cup ring.
But the truth is that Neal has an uphill battle to make the roster, as the Blue Jackets have a surplus of forwards, and if there was an easier path to making the roster at forward, it would be at center. Neal is a winger, and doesn't have the profile of a modern fourth-liner, nor does he have the legs to play in a top-six. Put another way, Neal is probably an AHL player at this juncture, but even if we wound back the clock a few years, he's probably best served in a middle-six capacity.
Here are the wingers projected to be - or compete - on the opening night roster: Johnny Gaudreau, Patrik Laine, Gus Nyquist, Jakub Voracek, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, Yegor Chinakhov, Eric Robinson, Justin Danforth, Emil Bemstrom, and Mathieu Olivier.
Neal will need to crack the 'top eight' of that list. Barring injuries, it would be a difficult climb.
The other consideration is the state of the franchise. If the Blue Jackets were a Stanley Cup contender and felt it needed a bit more veteran presence at the AHL level - lest they need that player down the road, maybe there's a path. It's the exact logic that led him to play with the St. Louis Blues a season ago. But the Blue Jackets will want to see their kids play, and Neal is not that.
Worst case scenario, the veteran of seven NHL franchises is an insurance policy in case a rash of injuries afflict the Blue Jackets in their preseason campaign. That said, even a couple of injuries should keep him off the roster. But having a veteran around in training camp doesn't hurt, and there's a non-zero chance that he has a great camp.
We'll cross that bridge if we get there.
