[TheScorpion]

I think the crux of the argument re: Phillips over the last three years has to do with what's been proven. People often point to Phillips not having proven anything at the NHL level, and it's true.

But what the likes of Brad Richardson, Tyler Pitlick, Trevor Lewis, Cody Eakin, and Kevin Rooney have been able to prove at the NHL level in recent seasons is that they don't score much, they're slow, and they get absolutely run over in their own end.

It's not that folks like me and many others think Matt Phillips is some kind of saviour. I've been very measured in what I've said since I started covering the Heat a couple years ago -- he might not be anything, he might be something, but we won't know until we see him in a game that actually means something. And we likely won't at this point, despite Brett Ritchie, Tyler Pitlick, and now Eakin getting multiple looks with quality NHLers. Phillips is an unknown quantity who is coming off a year where he was the highest-scoring AHL player still eligible for the Calder Trophy. The only thing we can really quantify about him is his size, which works against him. But in terms of actual numbers that matter in the NHL -- goals for, goals against, chance differential -- we already know that guys like Eakin and Rooney get absolutely smoked.

So when it comes down to it, when I say Phillips should get a look, it's not because I think he'll be a Gaudreau or a Mangiapane or even a Dillon Dube. It's because he might be good. Whereas we pretty much already know that guys like Rooney and Eakin consistently get steamrolled in the big leagues.

It's not the Flames' nature to operate that way, and that's just the way it is. They'll probably be fine. But they're still short a top-nine forward for this season, and they're not going to find it internally with the candidates they've settled on after these last cuts. They're probably gonna have to trade for one.

(Also, re: Gudbranson -- willing to bet he's back to his pre-Calgary self this year in Columbus. The early reviews on his pre-season showings have not been very positive. When all is said and done, I think his Flames year will go down as a huge anomaly -- he's just not particularly effective in the majority of NHL systems).