Quote:
Originally Posted by GS Skier
Let me now where you Philips bandwagon guys buy your weed. Philips is great, very talented to be sure. Have you heard of this Sutter guy running the team?
Have you seen his past history of building teams? You hold out this miraculous hope that someone Sutter will "see the light" and bring 140 lb Philips up???
Is he opposed to young players??? Rudzicka is 22, spent 2 1/2 years simmering in the AHL and has 14 games experience and yet Sutter seems fine with him. Of course he's 6'4" 212lbs.
Philips? On a Sutter team?
Good luck with that.
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Gaudreau is a favourite. Mangiapane is a favourite. Heck, Ryan was one of Darryl's trusted guys out there last year as a 4th liner and he was NOT physical at all. While we are at it, let's tackle all his 'myths':
1) Darryl Sutter teams are smashmouth hockey teams.
2) Darryl Sutter teams play slow plodding and boring games.
3) Darryl Sutter teams are defensive trap-fests.
4) Darryl Sutter loves winning games 1-0 and 2-1.
5) Darryl Sutter is a dinosaur stuck in the 80's.
As for Phillips - I would be interested to hear why people think that Phillips has been deserving of a call-up in the past. He has never led the Heat in points (1 point lead right now). First year being a PPG or better (thus far). He simply hasn't shown ENOUGH to warrant a call-up. It isn't about his size.
I like that he has taken a step forward this season. I do think that perhaps he has suffered from not playing enough games. However, he simply hasn't been outstanding enough to warrant a look. You might argue that he is the stick that stirs the drink on that line, but I will argue that he still needs to stand-out more than his line-mates.
Am I writing him off? Absolutely not. I really like this kid in every way. Like I said, covid may have thrown a wrench into his seasons. Not playing enough affects players in different ways and to different degrees. The important thing is that NOW he is playing better and getting better results. He is taking a step forward, and I think that he is capable of even more. My argument is that he hasn't shown ENOUGH so far to warrant a long look in the NHL, rather than his size has held him back from getting a look.
Once again, this is the first season in which he is a PPG. Pelletier is doing it in his first season. Gawdin has led the team in scoring once, and is 3 points back. Ruzicka was just as impressive as Phillips, but is a full foot taller. Nobody is being unfair to Phillips, and Ritchie has so far earned his limited (thankfully limited) ice-time because he is the hardest worker on the team while not hurting the team, and that's a good example to set. I hope there is an upgrade there, but Phillips is by no means a 'guarantee' as an upgrade. Let him just continue to improve his game and earn a spot on the team eventually.