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Originally Posted by TheScorpion
The AHL updates their figures every season. The 5'7", 140 measurement is from the 2016 combine. The 5'8", 165 measurement is from last year's training camp.
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So you're saying that the Flames don't use data from their own training camp?
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Anyway ... I don't disagree Phillips will have to be productive in the NHL to stick around, but I think I'd he can be a 35-to-40-point guy with good puck possession, he'd be just fine. If 115 points is your benchmark for him to be better than Brett Ritchie, who had four, then I think you'll never be satisfied.
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What does Brett Ritchie have to do with anything related to Matthew Phillips? Brett Ritchie and Matthew Phillips would have very different roles. Do you think that Matthew Phillips is going to go out there on the 4th line and have any impact in the bump-grind-intimidation game? If you do, you're delusional. Matthew Phillips' role will be to provide scoring support. Full stop. He will need to contribute on the positive side of the scoresheet and not be a detriment on the defensive side of the puck to make the team. That is where his size is going to be a problem because he is not going to be overly strong defending because of that deficiency. So he really better be able to score and make an impact in the offensive zone. He needs to show that in spades during this pre-season audition because he's going to have to be better than two of Dube, Milano, and Ruzicka. He isn't beating out Toffoli for anything and he isn't competing with Eakin. If Eakin hangs around it will be for his versatility, not his ability to fill the net. Eakin is battling with Ritchie and Rooney.
Personally, I think there is one slot open on the roster and the fight is going to boil down to whether Dube can step up on the right side and Ruzicka can fill in on the left side, or if the PTO Milano has to be signed to fill the gap on the right side. I don't see Phillips in the mix at all unless he absolutely blows people's minds and is a setup machine. I don't see the Flames going into the season with a 24 year old with one game under his belt playing on the rights side in the top six.