Quote:
Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald
What are the expectations for a Phillips call up? Are people going to be happy when he is on a very short leash? Are people going to be okay if he comes up, doesn't generate much, and ends up sitting most of the game?
If Phillips comes up it is highly probable that Sutter will believe he has to shelter Phillips rather than playing in all situations. This is why he isn't getting a call up IMO. It's not about one-way play, it's about the two-way play that Sutter demands. I don't think he has the confidence that the player coming up will be able to play both sides of the puck at the NHL level, which limits the coach in how he can deploy the player. That is a problem that Phillips won't be able to overcome.
I'm all for a call up, I just don't think Phillips is going to live up to the Scorpion hype that is being built up and Sutter will not deploy the player to meet anyone's satisfaction. It will be a now win situation.
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He can’t possibly live up to the hype. The legend of our saviour Phillips is out of control.
There’s nothing unique despite all the speculation.
Almost all teams are trying to bank cap space with short rosters if they can. AHL players generally get called up when injuries happen. Those players have short leashes on every team for every coach. Sometimes circumstance gives them an opportunity and they run with it. Usually not.
There’s also nothing that unique about Phillips. The AHL leaderboard is always full of mid 20s players who have learned to be productive pros and almost all of them end up tweeners at best or not even that. They bounce through a couple teams who give them a shot hoping to win the lottery, then end up like czarnik, petan, or hundreds of others.
Maybe phillips becomes the next yanni gourde. Almost certainly not.