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

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by midniteowl

I really hope he's not St Louie 2.0

He isn't

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by 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.

He cleared waivers and 2 expansion drafts

Wasn't just the Flames GM

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Guess Zary will never make it either, by that criteria ... hoo boy did he have a brutal playoff.

Zary isn't 25

[flamesfan6]

It's funny reading this forum, if I didn't know better I'd think he was a first overall the flames never gave a shot to.

Instead of you know an undersized 6th round draft pick no team ever claimed off waivers, traded for a late pick or future considerations.

He's not the first and won't be the last to put numbers up in the AHL but not able to make much impact on the NHL. Good luck Matthew hope it works out.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by dino7c

He cleared waivers and 2 expansion drafts

Wasn't just the Flames GM

he was not eligible for the first expansion draft

people are talking about folks making excuses for why Phillips hasn't made it but they're also stretching like craaaaaaaaazy to try and prove why he hasn't earned a shot. "seven training camps" lol you were expecting to make him at 18?

he's left, wish him well, and if you don't think he'll do anything, then move on!

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by 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.

Connor Zary - 21 years old - 1 playoff goal - Neutralized
Matthew Phillips - 25 years old - 1 playoff goal - Not Neutralized

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

Connor Zary - 21 years old - 1 playoff goal - Neutralized
Matthew Phillips - 25 years old - 1 playoff goal - Not Neutralized

Phillips had seven points. Zary had two.

stttrrrrrrrrretch

Phillips during the last two playoff runs: 15 points. Zary: four points.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by flamesfan6

It's funny reading this forum, if I didn't know better I'd think he was a first overall the flames never gave a shot to.

Instead of you know an undersized 6th round draft pick no team ever claimed off waivers, traded for a late pick or future considerations.

He's not the first and won't be the last to put numbers up in the AHL but not able to make much impact on the NHL. Good luck Matthew hope it works out.

People still cry about Lomberg who had ONE point in 4 playoff rounds

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Phillips had seven points. Zary had two.

stttrrrrrrrrretch

Seven points vs four* points

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

Seven points vs four* points

Oop, mixed him up with Jones (who had two).

Nevertheless: 15 points vs. 6 over the last two playoff runs. And one is five inches taller and was picked five rounds earlier!

The only guy on the farm with more playoff points than Phillips the last two years is Pelletier, who had 17 to Phillips' 15

"neutralized in the playoffs"

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Oop, mixed him up with Jones (who had two).

Nevertheless: 15 points vs. 6 over the last two playoff runs. And one is five inches taller and was picked five rounds earlier!

Oh, now you're stretching the scope of the discussion to fit your opinion, that's cool.

[TheScorpion]

Nope, the point still fits if you only include this past year!

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Nope, the point still fits if you only include last year!

No, it doesn't. Zary had four points, Phillips had seven, he's four years older. You thought you had a message when Zary had two points, he had double that and you still won't budge. That's not honest.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

No, it doesn't. Zary had four points, Phillips had seven, he's four years older. You thought you had a message when Zary had two points, he had double that and you still won't budge. That's not honest.

Zary had two points in the playoffs in 2022, not 2023. It's not dishonest, it's a mistake.

The point is it's absurd to dismiss a player off one playoff run, especially one in which they had seven points in nine games and the entire team struggled to score. The player has earned a one-way NHL deal elsewhere at an age where 80% of this board thought he'd be in Europe three years ago. He's about to get the shot the Flames should've given him, and we should all be happy for it, and it's ridiculous that people are still tying themselves up in knots to bash on the player in this thread.

Walker Duehr had zero goals in the playoffs ... yikes!

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Zary had two points in the playoffs in 2022, not 2023. It's not dishonest, it's a mistake.

The dishonesty is you failing to alter your stance when presented with correct information. I thought the mistake was mixing him up with another player, not years?

No one is dismissing Phillips because of one playoff run, they are dismissing him on that after seeing him for the last five years. One goal in nine playoff games as a 25 year old is just the cherry in top for some people. It's not the only bit of information.

Walker Duehr had zero goals in the playoffs ... yikes!

This is getting sad. Again a little dishonesty with the numbers as you suddenly are back to focusing on just goals and a single playoff run. When you want to build up a player you like, you included points and expanded the scope to two playoff runs.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by FormerPresJamesTaylor

The dishonesty is you failing to alter your stance when presented with correct information. I thought the mistake was mixing him up with another player, not years?

No one is dismissing Phillips because of one playoff run, they are dismissing him on that after seeing him for the last five years. One goal in nine playoff games as a 25 year old is just the cherry in top for some people. It's not the only bit of information.

If it's not the only bit of information then why would it be enough to completely alter my stance? You're just trying to create a confrontation just for the hell of it — and, as you have for many years under many usernames, you've done a pretty good job. Boy, talk about dishonesty ...

All the best, Philly! Go knock em dead with the Caps.

[FormerPresJamesTaylor]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

, as you have for many years under many usernames, you've done a pretty good job. Boy, talk about dishonesty ....

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

why would the flames buy out a contract they could completely bury in the minors?

To save money by not paying a player that didn't make it in the NHL? Why not make the first year also a one-way as they could bury it too?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by D as in David

To save money by not paying a player that didn't make it in the NHL? Why not make the first year also a one-way as they could bury it too?

Because they don't want to pay him $775K that year if he doesn't get called up. Pretty clear he'd start in the minors.

I wouldn't waste one of the buyouts on a minimum contract though.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

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

If earning a spot and being able to play in the NHL was as simple as putting up points in the AHL, all the leading scorers down there would be good enough to be NHLers, but they’re not.

Maybe Atkinson earned it and Phillips didn’t, and maybe it’s not as simple as earning it = putting up points. I’ve watched Phillips play, I wouldn’t call him a “speedy waterbug.” He’s not particularly shifty or fast.

And while it’s easy to put all of the fault on Sutter (and you could, I guess), there are guys like Pelletier who took the opportunity and ran with it (without needing to be 6’3 and hit everything that moves).