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

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by boogerz

Pelletier and Pettersen's agents should also be looking elsewhere for opportunities.

With Sutter signed for another 2.5 seasons and nothing but big kids taken in the last two drafts, it's obvious that the Flames org is no longer a place for small players.

They drafted more size for sure, whether that's Sutter's influence or not is hard to know.
But Coronato is not a big kid. Not as small as others being talked about but he's not what I would consider to be big.

[Burning Beard]

Does Darryl Sutter honestly give the impression that he cares about anything but winning? Prove to him that you belong in the NHL and no matter how tall you are he will play you. Phillips would be a nice story if he made it but he was up and practicing with the team for weeks. I'm sure there is a lot more that Sutter takes into account than AHL scoring.

If anything Pelletiers agent would be telling him to work his a## off and prove he belongs in the NHL because if he doesn't Sutter won't play him based off draft position or getting goals in the AHL. Things like closing in on checks and positioning are just as important to this coach. And this is something we are complaining about?

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

At the end of the day, Phillips came up short.

at the end of the day, Phillips wasn't given enough runway here not to come up short.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

That player did play his rookie season under Hartley (ironically his best season as a Flame). Hartley stuck him with Backlund and Frolik on the clear second line for most of that year. Subsequently the Flames tried him out in more of a 3rd and 4th line role.

He had his chances though.

If you look at 2016-2019 he had ...

400 minutes with Gaudreau
500 with Versteeg
416 with Backlund
340 with Tkachuk

All he had to do was pop in that data size.

[joejoe3]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

At the end of the day, Phillips came up short.

[Reggie Dunlop]

With the farm team in town, it's easier to yo-yo players. You don't have the same travel costs and logistics.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

at the end of the day, Phillips wasn't given enough runway here not to come up short.

Not enough runway? How much runway do you give a player? Phillips is D+7. That's enough runway to land a jumbo jet. How many players are still around their original team to be D+7 without playing in the NHL??? Look at Phillips' draft class and who is left from the nine players the Flames selected? Dillon Dube and Matthew Phillips is it, and Dube is in his 4th NHL season as a Flame, 5th if you count his first 25 game callup. Parsons, Lindstrom, Mattason, and Falkovsky have all been kicked to the curb. From the 2017 draft class, Valimaki has seen his runway turn into opportunities elsewhere. Phillips has been granted three contracts with the team. They've given him a lot of pavement, he just hasn't shown them enough to believe he has NHL talent to compensate for his lack of size.

I'm sure his agent knows the skinny. The trick will be to try and convince another team that he does have NHL potential and earn a one-way contract. Otherwise, he's going to have to settle for AHL money, which sucks for the abuse you take. I'm not certain anyone else is going to bite on Phillips as an NHL player and you have to wonder what premium they would pay him to play for their AHL squad? Europe has greater earning potential with less abuse to your body. Phillips could carve out an amazing career in a Euro league, be a star, and make lots of money. If his agent were smart, that would be where to troll for a contract. He would make more money in the KHL in one year than he would in the AHL for four or five seasons. The only runway left is going to be in a different city, and if he's smart, on another continent.

[Reggie Dunlop]

This entire conversation was predictable from the day he was drafted. Sixth round long shot.

[Harry Lime]

Lanny's rant is a good indication that Phillips did not get enough runway at the NHL level. I'm not sure if that was his intent. 9:21 and 8:43 on the fourth line, for a scoring winger, is not a real look. And to be honest, he did not look out of place on what he was asked to do.

[Naitix]

Phillips will still be recalled in my opinion. I think he was sent down because Sutter likes the lines the way they are for now, and we still have Ruzicka playing on the 4th line and he deserves the top 9 spot over Phillips.

If Phillips was still on the roster he would be almost at his 30 day eligibility period and would 100% get picked up on waivers, and Flames know that. So he was sent down until Sutter stops liking the lines and sees a potential spot for him.

I love Phillips but right now there is just no space, Ruzicka should be given Lucic's spot next.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Assuming Phillips spends the rest of the season at AHL, there is zero chance he'll be back with the Flames.

Many teams would want him to bolster their AHL club, but he'll choose a team (if there is one) that promises a real NHL chance.

Like Edmonton

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Lanny's rant is a good indication that Phillips did not get enough runway at the NHL level. I'm not sure if that was his intent. 9:21 and 8:43 on the fourth line, for a scoring winger, is not a real look. And to be honest, he did not look out of place on what he was asked to do.

Lanny is the type of person to drive a Lamborghini through a playground zone and say that he's disappointed in the performance and the lack of seats. Totally context-deaf.

[Kidder]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

This entire conversation was predictable from the day he was drafted. Sixth round long shot.

I don’t think it was ever predictable he’d be leading the AHL in scoring 20 games into a season.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by joejoe3

Sutter wants him to grow taller

Can’t he just get taller skates like Pelletier?

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I'm bitter about Zohorna being sent down.

Zhit happens.

[Sandman]

Zohorna was called up again this morning, btw.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Harry Lime

Lanny's rant is a good indication that Phillips did not get enough runway at the NHL level. I'm not sure if that was his intent. 9:21 and 8:43 on the fourth line, for a scoring winger, is not a real look. And to be honest, he did not look out of place on what he was asked to do.

Harrry's rant just shows just how little people understand what it takes to make it to the NHL and the expectations players have placed on them to be complete players. You don't get a chance to play in the NHL until you prove to the coaching staff you are not going to be a detriment to the team with your play. The coaches expect you to be able to contribute at both ends of the ice and conform to the style being played by the rest of the team. That is proven not only in game play but also in practices and in prep.

If the coaches do not like a player's ability to play positionally they don't have a hope of playing in the NHL. So while some may think a player did not look out of place, there others - including the coaching staff - who disagree and think he has not met the level of play required at the NHL level. They believe that he doesn't put in the two-way effort nor is able to manage gap control to make up for his physical disadvantage and is not positionally sound. If he were elite like Gaudreau his shortcomings may not be as problematic, but he is not elite and struggles with tie and space against NHL competition. It's why he looks effective on the PP and invisible to most on every other opportunity.

Matthew Phillips has had plenty of opportunity, more opportunity than other prospects with the physical makeup to play in the NHL. Most players Phillips size have a very limited shelf life in organizations and have a ceiling to where they shake out. Phillips has been granted seven years to improve his game and figure out what it takes to be an NHL player. In those seven years he has not been able to impress any of the coaches who run the NHL bench and see an NHL player in him. That is all that matters. If there was another team out there who believes he is an NHL player he would have been traded for or grabbed off waivers. It's not like he has not been there for the taking.

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Lanny is the type of person to drive a Lamborghini through a playground zone and say that he's disappointed in the performance and the lack of seats. Totally context-deaf.

Please explain the context I'm missing here. What am I missing about Matthew Phillips that you seem to be so in tune with that I am missing? Is it his great AHL scoring exploits? Nope. I recognize that but have stated that his stye is unlikely to translate to the NHL. What works in the AHL does not always work in the NHL, especially when you are a small player without body mass. The Flames play a heavy game (context) where being a small player is extremely difficult. The players in the NHL are bigger and faster and think the game quicker than even the best players at the AHL level. Every player in the NHL has been the best at every level they have played at, so Phillips is at a disadvantage. He needs to be elite in his positioning, think the game better and anticipate to better defensively, and he can never give up on play. That's what it takes to standout and earn your keep as a small player in a big man's game. So context am I missing here genius? Please enlighten me.

[PepsiFree]

Harry didn’t write a rant.

[jayswin]

95% of wall of text rants are Lanny and JayRandom.

[Hockey-and_stuff]

I'd find both posters less grating if they found the grace to respect other people opinions instead of breaking down why they're right and other posters are wrong in ultra-long rant posts that bog down the overall discussion.

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