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Originally Posted by blankall
Is your only knock against Phillips his size?
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Nope. I don’t think he’s defensively aware, can skate at the NHL level, or can handle the physicality of the NHL. It is a game for big men and Phillips would be the smallest player by a big margin. Pelletier towers over Phillips.
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Because there are plenty of small players succeeding in the NHL now. Another thing the Flames need to move away from is only acquiring players that are "hard to play against". The Flames have been absolutely destroyed in important games season after season, because they've been unable to keep up with the opposing teams' skill and speed. The flames need to get faster, more mobile, and more skilled.
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Phillips would be the smallest in the league. On a team that is already small and heading in the wrong direction. Adding Pelletier and Coronato next season will make them smaller. Not sure how Phillips helps them get faster seeing he isn’t a burner out there. He is a skilled player but he has not found much success against teams that play big or uptempo. Look at the AHL playoffs for example. He’s also not a young guy anymore. He’s 25 and he has 3 games under his belt. It took him a few years to find success at the AHL level, how long will it take him to find his way in the faster, bigger, tougher NHL?
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Could Phillips be a flip? Absolutely. But not giving him a chance, after what he's accomplished in the AHL, is insane.
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What has he accomplished exactly? There are all sorts of small players from the AHL that could never make the jump to the NHL. I think Phillips is another one of those.
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Let's be generous to your argument and say Phillips has about a 20% chance of working out. That's about the same odds as a 2nd round pick. Maybe the Flames should just throw away all their picks outside the first round too?
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I think you’re being very generous with your odds of him making it to the NHL. He’s 25. Most players that age have washed out of organizations by that age if they have not found a full time gig given the number of games and seasons he’s had. Opportunity has been there and he hasn’t impressed. Phillips was a 6th rounder for good reason and he’s performed like one. I think the Flames can do better in filling out the lineup than using a contract on Phillips. Just my take considering the size of the team.