[News] Zohorna recalled. Phillips and DeSimone assigned to Wranglers

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Over the last 80 games, he's in the bottom three.

Who are the other two?

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I don't think he has any trade value.

I think he does as a sweetener, not a base. Should’ve made that clear.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

If the Flames are gonna base their decisions for the long run on a two-game set against a Sharks team playing some of the worst defensive hockey the NHL has seen in recent years, they're in for some trouble. Lucic is not a viable option to play top-six minutes in anything other than the most dire situation. Trying to compete against the MacKinnons and Kucherovs with this setup is something straight out of 1997.

Well Lucic was scratched based on his earlier play. He has been better since then and you’re right, it was against lesser competition.

Let’s see how it goes.

[TheScorpion]

I totally messed up the facts on Pelletier's height, I'll admit to that lol. L

[flamesfan6]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I think he does as a sweetener, not a base. Should’ve made that clear.

a sweetener would still have trade value....

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by flamesfan6

a sweetener would still have trade value....

I think a player that has the points Phillips has in the AHL and has a vacant spot on their roster due to injury or just a flat out weak roster would take a chance. I’m not saying it’s much, but it could be something. Probably won’t happen and we will lose him at the end of the season to a team that will take a chance on him.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Well, Phillips didn't get a real shot, and the RW problem persists. Can't say I agree with this but I look forward to watching him with the Wranglers again.

Perhaps you mean to say that he didn’t play well enough to earn more ice time.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

If the NHL coach and staff thought the AHL player, who they have watched for 4+ years, could help them win NHL games now, he would be on the roster.

The hope is, he receives feedback and works on whatever they tell him to work on. AHL is a large step below NHL. He has to kick down the door when he comes up not knock on it. He still may, but he hasn't yet so they default to the players they know. I don't blame them.

He probably got lots of feedback from the players too and saw how they prepare and work out from day to day. Staying with the club was a big reward for his efforts so far. Hopefully there is room for him to fit in and to show a bit more if he gets another opportunity. Philips did what he could without trying to be more than he should. Eat Bread, Dube took awhile before they started showcasing skills.p Players getting called up need to be prudent about how they fit in and do what the coaches ask of them.

[Bonded]

Tough to say with his limited time but he looked okay but didn’t really contribute much. Will be interesting to see who gives him a shot next year.

[badradio]

Can Phillips sign anywhere next year if he’s offered a contract? Or how does that work?

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I just don't jive with appeals to authority when NHL GMs and coaches do obviously stupid things every week. They've watched him lead their farm team in scoring for years. They also healthy scratched Oliver Kylington for Nikita Nesterov over a full season and currently have Adam Ruzicka on the fourth line and Lucic on the second. These guys don't just make mistakes, they're prone to them. And I think keeping Lucic as a fixture on the roster over the kids without an appropriate external replacement lined up in a year where they have pushed in all the chips on trying to win is an enormous mistake.

But they developed Kylington the right way didn't they? Nesterov was the placeholder until he was ready and I'd say they cooked him properly based on last year.

Ruzicka is now an NHL'er learning his game and gets properly praised and corrected by Sutter. Of course they miss now like all teams but Phillips isn't what you want him to be in the NHL at this time. I'm pulling for the kid, I really am, and I think he will get other chances even this season but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if he is ever an everyday NHL'er.

Ras, Dube, Mang? I think the Flames do all right at this development thing. They aren't the best but they are all right considering where they draft and the amount of picks they trade away.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by BigFlameDog

But they developed Kylington the right way didn't they? Nesterov was the placeholder until he was ready and I'd say they cooked him properly based on last year.

Ruzicka is now an NHL'er learning his game and gets properly praised and corrected by Sutter. Of course they miss now like all teams but Phillips isn't what you want him to be in the NHL at this time. I'm pulling for the kid, I really am, and I think he will get other chances even this season but I would be very (pleasantly) surprised if he is ever an everyday NHL'er.

Ras, Dube, Mang? I think the Flames do all right at this development thing. They aren't the best but they are all right considering where they draft and the amount of picks they trade away.

They put Kylington in a position to succeed. They paired him up with Tanev. They put Gaudreau in a position to succeed and look at how that turned out. Phillips was not. Didn’t even get a big enough stint or ice time. Instead, Lewis gets it all.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Tough to say with his limited time but he looked okay but didn’t really contribute much. Will be interesting to see who gives him a shot next year.

Could be he didn't want to overstep or the role he was asked to play, it would have looed worse if he did too much and made mistakes. Tough situation, hopefully he is closer to showing more if called again.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I just don't jive with appeals to authority when NHL GMs and coaches do obviously stupid things every week. They've watched him lead their farm team in scoring for years. They also healthy scratched Oliver Kylington for Nikita Nesterov over a full season and currently have Adam Ruzicka on the fourth line and Lucic on the second. These guys don't just make mistakes, they're prone to them. And I think keeping Lucic as a fixture on the roster over the kids without an appropriate external replacement lined up in a year where they have pushed in all the chips on trying to win is an enormous mistake.

Every week? Prone to tehm?

Kylington was an absolute turnover machine back then.

One of the reasons Ruzicka is centering the 4th line is that Lewis has/had a sore wrist and couldn't take draws.

And your repeated claim that Lucic is the worst player in the league is completely unsupported, and has been expressed by no one else but you.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Zarley

Perhaps you mean to say that he didn’t play well enough to earn more ice time.

He was fine. Better than 17. Not a big enough sample to make any proclamations either way. Not a big enough sample to see what they have, or to override any assessments made of his AHL play since he was 20.

The Flames have had some success stories but I think they're going to become significantly rarer as long as Sutter has any influence on which players play in this organization. I think they'll have to rely significantly on external scouting because they were consistently unable to draft during his first tenure and their last two draft classes since he returned are thoroughly underwhelming.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

I think he does as a sweetener, not a base. Should’ve made that clear.

Not sure even as that including because of his contract status. He's a pending UFA now. I could see a team taking a chance on him as a throw in maybe, but they would need to give him enough of a look and offer him enough of a contract (probably a 1 way would do it though) to convince him to sign.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Every week? Prone to tehm?

Kylington was an absolute turnover machine back then.

One of the reasons Ruzicka is centering the 4th line is that Lewis has/had a sore wrist and couldn't take draws.

And your repeated claim that Lucic is the worst player in the league is completely unsupported, and has been expressed by no one else but you.

Maybe on here it's unsupported. Not many forwards around the league would be able to go nearly 100 games with one goal before being scratched, only to be immediately put back in a plum role after breaking that streak against a lottery team. Particularly not when that player also gets smoked in terms of shots, goals, and chances during his shifts against fourth-line competition. It's a complete head-scratcher and the type of thing we used to make fun of the Oilers for.

He's down there with Ryan Reaves, Ross Johnston, Ben Harpur, and (save for his Calgary tenure) Erik Gudbranson.

[Mitch]

Been reading various flames and hockey forums for some time now and have never seen so much discussion over an AHL tweener. Mind numbing.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

He was fine. Better than 17. Not a big enough sample to make any proclamations either way. Not a big enough sample to see what they have, or to override any assessments made of his AHL play since he was 20.

Rewarding mediocre play with additional ice time is not the right way to integrate a prospect. I hope he works on his game in the minors and comes back later this season to make a bigger impact, but we all know that AHL success does not always translate to success at the NHL level.

Your irrational fixation on 17 seems to be clouding your judgement.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Mitch

Been reading various flames and hockey forums for some time now and have never seen so much discussion over an AHL tweener. Mind numbing.

Going 1.5 PPG in the league behind the NHL would do that. We could very well have the next Gaudreau (perhaps a small chance) but we will never even know because of the opportunity problem with our coach, who is very veteran-heavy.