Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
I have zero doubt Phillips lacks NHL size. I am also very skeptical his skill translates to the NHL. If he were NHL talent he would be in the NHL and the team would not have loaded up on known quantities, as limited as they were. They would have rolled the dice on Phillips, Gawdin, and Ruzicka. Obviously the team does not see the upside in bringing in a tiny player on a team that is already small by NHL standards. You can gush all over his play in a very limited AHL season, but that does not mean he is prepared or capable of playing in the NHL. The jump between the AHL and NHL is so great it is hard for people to comprehend.
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These are all assumptions, though. Sure, they all stand a chance of coming true... but there's currently nobody at the AHL level who's outplaying Phillips. He's the best player on the Heat by a decent margin.
"If he were NHL talent he would be in the NHL"... Mangiapane wasn't in the NHL for a while. Same with Dube. They got their chances... and Phillips has produced at the same, terrific rate (and not only in this "very limited AHL season").
He deserves a shot, but he may never get one with this team—and I think it'd be a crying shame.