[Signing] Matthew Phillips to Capitals 1yr 1 way $775K

[TheScorpion]

I think you're overselling it more than a little bit. He certainly wasn't crushed on every shift. He took some hits but he also wasn't totally neutralized. Guys like Jones, Zary, and Rooney? Who are bigger and thicker? They were neutralized.

[Backstop]

Originally Posted by Ped

How many bottom-6 guys hit 40 points? Especially ones wit 3 career NHL games?

Fair point, probably should have made 30 points the top of the bottom 6.

[Reggie Dunlop]

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I agree he didn't have a great playoff but Zary is solid, totally different subject than getting crushed every shift. Phillips doesn't have the thickness and build that a St Louis or a Fleury had nor does he have the magic elusiveness of a Gaudreau. Sure, he could float around and score in the AHL when games were not that important but as soon as the physicality of the playoffs start he spends more time lying on the ice than skating on it. I like Phillips, he seems like a really nice guy but he won't survive NHL hockey.

You know when you hear underdogs talk about how they've always been counted out by everyone, but that they never gave up on themselves and fought through the negativity and pushed beyond the people whop didn't believe in them?

You know, we've Johnny talk about, St. Louis talk about, and then smaller impact players like Byron too...

Your post is a great example of the negativity they talk about overcoming. His play has earned him a shot at the NHL, but here you are writing him off exclusively because of his size.

"He won't survive NHL hockey" well, I guess we'll see won't we? But the AHL is a vicious league - and I'd argue that if he can survive the AHL, he survive the NHL. Will he produce at the level he did in the AHL? I don't imagine so, but laying out this "he's too small survive the NHL" stuff is lame.

[Locke]

Huh. I dont think about Phillips at all.

[midniteowl]

I really hope he's not St Louie 2.0

[GranteedEV]

Kind of sad that the guy would rather be behind Ovechkin and Oshie among RHS forwards than be behind a potentially exodusing Lindholm and maybe a rookie Coronato. Really emphasizes the bridge that was burnt.

A whole lot of opinions in this thread about a player where no NHL sample size exists to form an opinion... is there a such thing as a narcissistic fan?

Best of luck to Matty. I always contended that he could have a Cam Atkinson type career.

[Finger Cookin]

Good for Matthew. Wishing him well.

[saillias]

Easier to accept when it was the player's decision at least. With Martin St Louis our dummy GM chose to get rid of him.

[FlamesAddiction]

The difference between players like Atkinson and St. Louis is that they had a playing weight 25 lbs heavier than Phillips. Twenty-five pounds of additional muscle on a small frame is a significant amount of strength. Even Gaudreau is 15 lbs heavier.

I never understood why Phillips didn't develop his physique more over the years after being drafted. I think best case scenario for Phillips if he get his decision making speed up to an NHL level is Yamamoto. Which isn't bad and would make him an NHL depth player, but not a star.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I never understood why Phillips didn't develop his physique more over the years after being drafted. .

You're stating this as if it's a fact, when it is not.

Phillips probably spent more offseason time in the gym with Ryan Van Asten than any other individual in this organization. And he wasn't weak, even if he wasn't MSL

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Kind of sad that the guy would rather be behind Ovechkin and Oshie among RHS forwards than be behind a potentially exodusing Lindholm and maybe a rookie Coronato. Really emphasizes the bridge that was burnt.

A whole lot of opinions in this thread about a player where no NHL sample size exists to form an opinion... is there a such thing as a narcissistic fan?

Best of luck to Matty. I always contended that he could have a Cam Atkinson type career.

Atkinson already had 140+ games and 70+ points by the time he was Phillips’ age. He wasn’t still struggling to put together a good training camp.

We can call it a bridge that was burnt, but it’s just as likely Phillips wanted to be somewhere with a clean slate for himself as well.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by blankall

If I'm Phillips I take the guaranteed money now. If things don't work out this year in the NHL, you can try your luck in Europe next year. Much better than just hanging around with another year on a two contract. Plus there's a good chance the Flames could have traded him in year two. This way he gets to choose his organization and work with an assistant coach he trusts.

Washington, with his AHL coach in their staff, is the best chance he will ever have to make the NHL, and that are offering a one way. No brainer.

I know he's a longshot, but feels like the organization burnt an asset for no reason. Sutter wanted to de facto act as GM and simply didn't play players he didn't want on the team, instead of doing his job and attempting to get the best out of them.

Trade him in year 2? Define good chance.

[TheIronMaiden]

I hope Washington starts him all season so we can end the debate.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Kind of sad that the guy would rather be behind Ovechkin and Oshie among RHS forwards than be behind a potentially exodusing Lindholm and maybe a rookie Coronato. Really emphasizes the bridge that was burnt.

A whole lot of opinions in this thread about a player where no NHL sample size exists to form an opinion... is there a such thing as a narcissistic fan?

Best of luck to Matty. I always contended that he could have a Cam Atkinson type career.

Atkinson is a beast compared to Phillips.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

Atkinson already had 140+ games and 70+ points by the time he was Phillips’ age. He wasn’t still struggling to put together a good training camp.

We can call it a bridge that was burnt, but it’s just as likely Phillips wanted to be somewhere with a clean slate for himself as well.

Atkinson was a shade under a PPG in the AHL at age 22, yet that got him 22 NHL games. Almost as if the Bluejackets developed him on a standard progressional curve.

Phillips was a shade under PPG in the AHL at age 22, whichgot his first callup at the exact same age and Sutter pressboxed him for a whole month, along with Oliver Kylington.

At age 23, Atkinson finally broke the PPG mark in the AHL, and the Bluejackets converted that into 35 more NHL games.

At Age 23, Phillips finally broke the PPG mark in the AHL, and the Flames could not be bothered to give him a single NHL game.

At Age 24, Atkinson was an NHLer, no doubt assisted by his 57 games of NHL experience.

At Age 24, Phillips was clearly too good for the AHL from the very first month, yet even with the NHL roster absolutely bleeding for a speedy, right shooting waterbug to put on either of its struggling scoring lines, neither Phillips nor Pellettier were getting actual chances until about January. And when Phillips did get called up, and then finally got into a game, he got kid gloves minutes.

You're right, Atkinson had way more games at that point.

I just disagree that these were not details completely manipulated and manifactured by the teams the two players played for. You are NOT comparing apples to apples. And even if Phillips is a lesser talent, it wasn't evident at lower levels at the same ages.

As for training camps?

The first part of opportunity is on the team in camp, and Sutter treated the AHLers as an afterthought unless they were 6'3 and hit anything that moved. And Phillips wasn't ready during the days of Peters or Gulutzan, which is normal for non-stars.

It's not difficult to see that all players have strengths and weaknesses, and organizing training camp lines around getting the most out of all players has always been a no-go for this organization.

And it's funny to see so much emphasis placed on training camp, when it was an annual occurance that Sam Bennett would be our best center in camp, making play after play, looking a tier above the likes of Monahan or Lindholm, and then relegating to fourth line left wing duties because training camp doesn't matter. Except if you're a marginal player playing on a training camp line with career AHLers and AHL defenseman on the road against the likes of Connor McDavid and Elias Pettersson, you should somehow shine

[Stampede2TheCup]

Good luck to Matthew. He's put in the work and done all he can to get a shot so I hope he does well with a change of scenery.

[The Fonz]

Cheering for him. He put in the work to earn his NHL shot here in Calgary and wasn’t given the opportunity.

Won’t hope for a player to fail just so that the Flames franchise doesn’t wind up with egg on it’s face.

[SoulOfTheFlame]

Flames will look bad at the end of this. Why? Because it is the way.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Anyone saying he had a had training camp is just making stuff up based on what Sutter wants to put out and that's probably why camp was closed to the public.

The roster was set when the groups got made and Sutter even said even if the ahl players outplayed the vets they wouldn't make the team.