Neal Pionk

Last Season

Three goals and twelve points in 51 games, plus-one, on 22:43 a night. He missed thirty games, and the production was well down on his career rate — 268 points in 587 games says a defenceman who normally contributes more.

The Finesse Game

He moves the puck well and shoots more than most defencemen in his role. The passing is his best attribute: quick, confident outlets, and a genuine ability to run a power play when asked, which he has done for stretches of his career.

The decision-making is the recurring criticism. He holds pucks a beat too long and attempts plays that create odd-man rushes the other way. In a top-four role that has always been the trade.

The Physical Game

Six feet and 190, and he plays with more bite than the size suggests — he finishes checks, gets involved after whistles, and takes his share of penalties. He is not going to win a battle against a power forward in front of the net.

The Intangibles

Undrafted out of college, and he has out-earned a great many first-round picks. That takes something.

At thirty-one, the games missed are the concern. A defenceman playing twenty-two minutes on a team whose depth behind the top pairing is thin needs to be available, and last season he was not.