Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil fractured his thumb in a fight on Saturday. (USATSI)
Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil fractured his thumb in a fight on Saturday. (USATSI)

Even though he doesn't seem to have any interest in leaving Ottawa, Chris Neil's name is one that has been mentioned frequently in trade talks ahead of next month's trade deadline for teams that might want to add some sort of physical presence to their fourth line. 

Any team that was interested might need to consider other options after Neil suffered a fractured thumb during the Senators' 7-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday afternoon.

The Senators announced that Neil is out indefinitely.

The injury is believed to have happened early in the second period during this lengthy fight with Oilers enforcer Luke Gazdic. 

The 35-year-old Neil has seen his role reduced in Ottawa this season and is down to just nine minutes of ice time per game. In 37 games he has scored four goals to go with three assists but has still drawn interest from teams looking to upgrade their fourth lines for a playoff run.

Depending on how long he is expected to be out, an injury at this point isn't necessarily a dealbreaker when it comes to a potential trade, but it's probably not going to help things, either.