Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald
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.
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You are making one hell of an absolute statement here.
Why aren't we considering that guys like Brad Richardson, Tyler Pitlick, Trevor Lewis, and Brett Ritchie have already
proven that they have massive "limiting factors," as you say, at the NHL level? Matthew Phillips hasn't been given a chance to prove that he's good or bad, so how do you know that he's so much worse?
All I'm saying is that it's high time these players be replaced. Stockton has a guy who's been one of the very best goal-scorers and most efficient producers in the entire AHL this year. He was absolutely one of the most effective offensive players in the A last year, despite having all of his support on the Heat sapped from him after the first third of the season (Stockton went 3–15–2 in the final 20 games of the year and lost Zary, Kirkland, Petrovic, and Froese, very important context when discussing Phillips' 2020–21 production).
He could very well look completely out of place in the NHL but the reality is that neither you nor I have any clue if this will be the case. Given the complete dearth of upside in the Flames' current bottom six, there is zero downside in giving Phillips a chance. Zero.