Senators' Neil: 'I want to play next year'

Chris Neil isn't ready to hang up his skates just yet.

The Senators heavyweight is coming off his 15th campaign - all spent with Ottawa - and despite a diminished role this season, the 37-year-old said he hopes to come back for 2017-18.

"The way I feel now, I want to play next year," Neil said, according to Ken Warren of the Ottawa Citizen.

After playing in just 53 games during the regular season and contributing only one goal and three assists, Neil was nearly non-existent in the postseason. He dressed for just two contests - Games 5 and 6 against the New York Rangers - and played just 1:49 and 2:26 in a combined nine shifts.

As for how realistic a return would be, Neil admitted he isn't too sure what the future holds.

"I came in, cleaned my locker, and I don't know what's ahead," he said, according to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun.

Neil sits third on the Senators' all-time games played list with 1,026, while his 2,522 penalty minutes is 1,764 more than second-place Chris Phillips on the franchise's all-time leaderboard.