I like Phillips and I think he can be an NHL player but I think it's fairly obvious he was only ever going to make this team if he took a job on Kadri's wing.
It's tough to slot Phillips in anywhere else in the top 9 because the Backlund and Lindholm lines are going to eat a lot of matchups against other teams top lines and I don't believe that's an area where you're going to get Phillips to succeed.
Guys like Eakin, Rooney and Ritchie aren't going to get a lot of love but they're built to play limited 4th line minutes. Phillips is basically top 6 or bust.
Injuries happen and if he clears waivers this time around, he will get his looks as the season rolls on. Just because he doesn't make the roster out of camp doesn't mean he won't have an impact later.
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