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Originally Posted by TheScorpion
It's "falling in love with a player" to say a guy who has led the Stockton Heat in scoring over the past two seasons and is currently one of just two U24 players in the league's top 10 scorers is one of the best players in the AHL?
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Leading the Stockton Heat in scoring doesn't mean a helluva lot. He was 70th in AHL scoring last season, scoring at a .7 PPG clip, 174th in that PPG measure for players. That does NOT make him one of the best players in the AHL. He's improved this year and finally cracked the PPG barrier, but I don't even see him as the best player on the Stockton Heat, being behind both Ruzicka and Pelletier. I would think the Flames would look at it that way as well, and he may even fall behind Valimaki, Gawdin, Mackey, and Zary in that regard as well. They have priorities and I don't see Phillips addressing those priorities. There is more to the game than scoring points.
I will ask the age old question that never seems to get answered, who on this roster do you bump so Phillips plays, recognizing the roles on the team?
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The only reason I've advocated for Phillips for so long is because the Flames have been hellbent against giving him even one meaningful look despite his outstanding production and play. If they'd tried him and he didn't work out, the outlook would be very different.
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The reason they don't give him a look is because they don't believe his game translates to the NHL. The step between playing in the AHL and the NHL is massive. The game is quicker. The players are bigger. The space is non-existent. The things that give Phillips a chance of survival in the AHL don't exist in the NHL. I believe his last chance to impress was this past camp, and he did nothing. He just isn't a player that can play at the NHL level, and Sutter is not the type of coach that is willing to give a player with so many limiting factors a chance on the team. His fate was sealed when the Flames hired a Sutter.