Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
And Phillips would get killed trying to play that against NHL level players. Some of you really need to understand just how massive a leap it is from the AHL to the NHL. The players in the NHL are just so much faster, so much smarter, so much BIGGER, and so much tougher. The things Phillips thinks he can do at the AHL level, like playing in traffic, would be so much harder for him in the NHL. The game is quicker, the gaps are non-existent, and the space closes like vice. Phillips trying to play in traffic would see him get hurt so quickly.
Understand, that even if Phillips is the best player on his team, or even the best player in his league (which he is not) he is stepping into a league where the best players from the best leagues around the globe have come together to play. He goes from being one of the top players to barely being on radar. The jump between leagues is not easy and for a player that is so physically limited, that jump is almost an impossibility. You can trot out the tired "he was told he couldn't play at this level, but he succeeded..." but the reality is that making the jump to the best league in the world is such a massive leap that most players never succeed, regardless of talent level. Without the perfect blend of skill, smarts, and size, it is unlikely a player is going to reach that penultimate plateau and achieve any level of success.
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I think your view of size and the importance of it is overblown. This isn't the 90s anymore and the game has changed. Patrick Kane is still elite, Brad Marchand isn't big, heck look how successful Alex Debrincat is doing and he's just as small as Phillips. I think the only concern with Phillips would be if his skill and speed can translate to the NHL, if he was going to get killed because of his size, it already would have happened in the AHL. I also don't think you understand that smaller players grow up adapting to playing against bigger guys so it's not like it's new to them. Johnny is the biggest wuss in the league and still hasn't been killed. His injuries have been from getting slashed if anything.