Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
Philips is a very skilled offensive guy...no question.
So. knowing this, that requires he play an offensive role in the top 6, if not the top 3.
So where do you put him in?
There is zero chance you can plug him on the right side of 13/23, they need puck/board battling guys with size there (that also have a flair for scoring) as it is with JG unable to play that role that would waste his talents doing so.
So that leaves one option...on the right with 19/28, but that also now takes ice and demotes Mangiapane. Does that make any sense? Why should 88 take a hit? Has he not done everything the team has asked?
I know....lets play him on line 3 then....right? Great big guys when Bennett is C and Lucic on the left. OK...that now means Dube on line 1 (hasnt worked) or Dube on the 4th line which is a complete waste of what his talents provide. Nevermind the likely horrible fit that the Bennett/Lucic tandem would provide for Phillips game.
Bottom line is a guy that small has to have a certain size and skillset with him to provide him the best opportunity to succeed. There is just not a fit for him at this point as long as 13, 88, 29 are all on the roster.
Now if JG gets dealt this off-season as many suspect will happen, then yes MP will have a spot open up for him to try and earn. Right now though, he just isn't a fit. He is a smaller version of Tyler Ennis....would he be someone that would make a difference for the Flames?
The average NHL player is what....190 lbs? This guy, even if he has bulked up to 155....is giving away 35 lbs to every guy on every shift during every game on average. How effective will that be in contributing to linemates? Puck battles? I mean we watch JG get pushed off pucks and give them up literally 10 times a game as it is.
I like MP's game...a lot actually and I hope at some point he gets a shot. However if it isnt in the right spot with the right mix of guys, there is zero chance it will work. The NHL graveyard is littered with small uber offensive guys for a reason.
|
This point only stands if you insist on having useless plugs in your 4th line.
Mangiapane started on the 4th line with Ryan and Hathaway under Peters and he had success there and it gave him an introduction to NHL hockey. But this team prioritized skill back then.
No reason you couldn't do the same thing now with Phillips, only problem is we insist on having Nordstrom and other grinders in the lineup for the 4th line.
Don't even have to change that much of the lineup, just tweak the lines from tonights game slightly.
Gaudreau - Monahan - Leivo
Tkachuk - Lindholm - Dube
Lucic - Backlund - Mangiapane
Top three from tonight remain untouched.
But I think a line of Bennett - Ryan - Phillips could be a lot more effective than Nordstrom-Ryan-Ritchie.