Neal was released from his professional tryout agreement by Columbus on Monday, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports.
Neal only appeared in 19 contests for St. Louis last season in which he tallied two goals, two assists and 31 shots while logging 11:58 of ice time per game. It's unclear what's next for the 14-year NHL veteran, who could be facing the prospect of hanging up his skates. If this is the end for Neal, he would retire having logged 869 games in which he tallied 296 goals and 263 assists along with 58 points in 110 postseason clashes.
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Blue Jackets' James Neal: Gets PTO with Columbus
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Neal signed a professional tryout agreement with the Blue Jackets on Thursday, per CapFriendly.
Neal couldn't hold down a spot in the Blues' lineup last year, logging four points in 19 contests while spending the bulk of the year with AHL Springfield. He'll have to settle for a tryout, though a strong showing in training camp could earn him a contract from the Blue Jackets, who are still not as deep up front as St. Louis was last year.
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Blues' James Neal: Heads to Springfield
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The Blues reassigned Neal to AHL Springfield on Wednesday.
The 34-year-old has played just two NHL games since late November and, barring injuries to St. Louis' regular wingers, doesn't figure to see much NHL action going forward.
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Blues' James Neal: Back on taxi squad
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Neal was demoted to the taxi squad Monday, per CBS Sports.
Neal was held scoreless in his last two appearances, his first games since November. He could be back with the big club for Friday's tilt with Seattle.
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Blues' James Neal: Quiet in return
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Neal finished with one hit and one shot in a 2-1 win over the Kraken on Thursday.
Neal logged 11:25 on Thursday after missing 15 games with an undisclosed issue. The veteran has four points across 18 games this season.
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Blues' James Neal: Elevated to active roster
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Neal (undisclosed) was cleared to play and promoted to the active roster ahead of Thursday's game against Seattle, per Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic.
Neal last appeared in an NHL game on Nov. 22. Over 17 appearances this season, the 34-year-old has averaged 11:53 of ice time -- 1:42 during the power-play -- and has recorded four points. Klim Kostin will likely see a reduced role upon Neal's return.
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Blues' James Neal: Joins taxi squad
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Neal (undisclosed) was placed on the taxi squad Monday.
Neal has been sidelined since November due to illness and injury. Through 11 November appearances prior to his initial absence, the 34-year-old recorded one goal and one assist.
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Blues' James Neal: Lands on waivers
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Neal (undisclosed) was placed on waivers Sunday, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports.
Neal has been on injured reserve since November with an undisclosed injury. He's scored just four points while averaging 11:54 of ice time through 17 games this season. If he clears waivers, the team will likely assign him to AHL Springfield.
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Blues' James Neal: Exits COVID-19 protocols
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Neal (undisclosed) exited the NHL's COVID-19 protocols Wednesday, per Jim Thomas of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Neal is still designated for injured reserve due to injury but will not miss further time due to COVID-19 protocols. In the 11 November appearances prior to his injury, the 34-year-old recorded one goal and one assist.
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Blues' James Neal: Lands in protocols
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Neal (undisclosed) was placed in COVID-19 protocols Sunday.
Neal has been on long-term injured reserve since November and this likely won't impact his return timeline. The veteran winger has four points in 17 games this season.
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Blues' James Neal: Shifts to LTIR
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Neal (undisclosed) was placed on long-term injured reserve Saturday, per CapFriendly.
When Neal's injury was initially announced, he was considered day-to-day, but he will now miss significantly more time. He won't be eligible to return until mid-December at the earliest, though no timeline for his recovery has been announced.
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Blues' James Neal: Lands on IR
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Neal (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
Neal won't be in the lineup Saturday versus Columbus, but he'll be eligible to return whenever he's deemed fit to play. The 34-year-old forward has picked up four points through 17 contests this campaign.
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Blues' James Neal: Out Friday
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Neal (undisclosed) will not play Friday in Chicago, Lou Korac of NHL.com reports.
Neal will miss back-to-back games with the undisclosed issue, and his status for Saturday's quick-turnaround game against visiting Columbus remains unclear. The 34-year-old has just four points in 17 games this year in what's shaping up to be one of his least productive NHL campaigns to date.
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Blues' James Neal: Ruled out versus Wings
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Neal will be sidelined against Detroit on Wednesday with an undisclosed injury but is considered day-to-day, Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reports.
It appears Neal may be playing through an ongoing injury concern, which could force him to miss the occasional game moving forward. Considering the 34-year-old winger is bogged down in a nine-game goal drought during which he has tallied just one assist, few fantasy players may be impacted by his absence. After being a lock 20-goal scorer for his first 11 NHL campaigns, Neal has missed that mark in three straight seasons and is poised to do so again in 2021-22.
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Blues' James Neal: Scores game-winner Thursday
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Neal scored a goal on two shots in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Sharks.
Neal gave the Blues their first lead at 11:42 of the second period, and they didn't look back. The 34-year-old winger has produced three points, 13 shots on net and eight hits in eight appearances this season.
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Blues' James Neal: Finds twine Saturday
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Neal scored a power-play goal on two shots in Saturday's 7-3 win over the Kings.
Neal has played in three of the Blues' four games this year, and this was his first contribution to the offense. The 34-year-old is no lock to stay in the lineup once Pavel Buchnevich (suspension) returns Monday. Neal is likely to be an extra forward after Brandon Saad clears COVID-19 protocols, but for now Neal could stick in a bottom-six role as a power-play specialist.
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Blues' James Neal: Signs in St. Louis
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Neal signed a one-year, $750,000 deal with the Blues on Saturday.
A veteran of 850 regular-season contests, Neal officially joins his seventh team entering his 14th NHL campaign. He only managed five goals and five assists in 29 games with the Oilers in 2020-21, but his four preseason tallies while on a PTO with the Blues suggest he's got more to give in his age-34 season. It's unclear at this point where Neal will fit into the team's depth chart, however.
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Blues' James Neal: Joining Blues on PTO
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Neal signed a professional tryout offer with St. Louis on Friday.
Neal drew into 29 games with the Oilers last season, picking up five goals and 10 points over that span. If he's able to land a contract with the Blues during training camp, he'll likely have to settle for a bottom-six role during the upcoming campaign.
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James Neal: Bought out by Edmonton
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Neal was placed on waivers Tuesday in order to buy out his contract, Sportsnet's Chris Johnston reports.
Neal found himself periodically serving as a healthy scratch this season and was limited to just 29 regular-season appearances in which he generated five goals and five assists. Still, the veteran winger extended his personal playoff streak to 11 straight seasons, which is incredibly impressive considering he accomplished that feat with five different franchises. While his $5.75 million cap hit was certainly cost-prohibitive given his production last year, Neal will certainly sign on the dotted line somewhere ahead of the 2021-22 campaign and could be a decent mid-range fantasy option.
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Oilers' James Neal: On modest three-game point streak
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Neal produced an assist and two shots on goal in Wednesday's 4-3 overtime win over the Canadiens.
Neal has gotten on the scoresheet in three straight games, notching a goal and two assists in that span. The 33-year-old winger is up to 10 points, 50 shots on net, 25 hits and a minus-2 rating through 28 contests. He could be in the mix for bottom-six minutes and power-play usage during the Oilers' playoff run.
