Call up Phillips! Now!

[TheScorpion]

That would be a fine explanation if we didn't all know Milan Lucic isn't a viable NHL player

[BigFlameDog]

Real question, how is Phillips defensively? I just don't have time to watch the Wranglers.

That is really the question. If he can bring it defensively then there is no harm in a call up. If his scoring doesn't translate, at least he won't be a liability. The odds are his offense won't translate, at least right away, so he needs to be able to keep himself in games.

[Kasi]

And there is other players like Pelletier and Zary that could be called up. Lucic is beyond useless and Lewis and Ritchie aren’t much behind. Even in last nights 45-19 domination that line still got caved in. They just have to go.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

That would be a fine explanation if we didn't all know Milan Lucic isn't a viable NHL player

Lucic has looked brutal the last few weeks. I think they give him time to get his game turned around until the team gets going (especially goaltending) as they value his room presence but his on ice presence has been poor. It was nice not seeing him on the ice as much last night. Guy isn't even knocking players over when he hits them lately. Just bouncing off with a scowl.

It's hard because Dube has looked close to a breakout for a while and Mangiapane has looked close to a return to form so you don't want to demote them to the 4th line to bring in a kid and bump Lucic to the press box, but you also don't want the skilled kids getting lower minutes on a 4th line when called up. Hopefully they can find a balance.

[Kasi]

That’s the thing. If Rooney (already happened) and Lucic and one of Lewis/Ritchie are benched then that fourth line is actually playable again. Right now we have an awful fourth line that literally can’t be played. Sutter clearly sees this from their recent ice time. But say the fourth line was Dube/Coleman/Lewis? That is probably a decent looking line. You can then go back to four lines and happily give them 10 minutes a game.

I don’t think we have the clicking top talent to lean on a top line but with a couple things they could inject some skill into the top nine (I’d say one new player on line 2 and one with Backlund) and have a good fourth line again, maybe even one of the better fourth lines in the league. Which maybe isn’t something to be that excited about but we know Sutter loves his third/fourth lines and having both be good would be nice.

[iggyloob12]

It's a pretty lame line of questioning to throw at the coach. He's got input on call-ups, sure, but that's not his job. And the curt answer it elicited was not unexpected.

And for all the Lucic, Lewis and Ritchie outrage, how many times have we heard this coach say in scrums that being successful in the NHL, with this team, is not just about points?
Phillips for me is a curiosity more than anything. Sure, call him up after the month he's had. But I don't see it happening based on previous comments about the player from training camp, or Sutter's most recent sound-bite.

[TheScorpion]

Darryl has been at pretty much every Wranglers home game ... I think it's more than fair game to ask him what he thinks.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

Phillips would be more conducive to what this team needs to win games than what lucic and lewis have brought for weeks now

want to give this team it's best shot to succeed?? inject more ****ing skill into it

being big and tough through our depth has done little to create wins on the ice lately , except for Ritchie's magic shot .. but that's cause he's the one big guy getting rubber at the net

No F-ing %#$@. The team is great at grinding other teams down and keeping the scores down. They are playing with no offensive creativity or confidence. Meanwhile, they won't call up the guy leading the AHL in scoring.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Darryl has been at pretty much every Wranglers home game ... I think it's more than fair game to ask him what he thinks.

but don't expect him to heap a bunch of praise...he doesn't do that for NHL players let alone AHL players

like I said if he planned on calling him up later today the response would have been no different

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

That would be a fine explanation if we didn't all know Milan Lucic isn't a viable NHL player

Bad take. Looch has been fine in his role. He hasn't had a fantastic stretch over the last few weeks but neither has the team as a whole. In fact he's been one of the only decent forecheckers on the team of late.

Classic CP - overrating prospects and not analyzing players beyond looking at stat-lines and salaries.

[Monahammer]

How is this overrating prospects? Our team has an absolutely, bat #### insane level anemic offense. We also have the top offensive player in the world's second best league ready to be called up. No one is saying that Phillips is going to be christ-like, but any sort of increase to our offense right now is definitely warranted. The team needs extra offensive creativity. It's not crazy to think that Phillips has that exact skill set.

[traptor]

Originally Posted by iggyloob12

It's a pretty lame line of questioning to throw at the coach. He's got input on call-ups, sure, but that's not his job. And the curt answer it elicited was not unexpected.

And for all the Lucic, Lewis and Ritchie outrage, how many times have we heard this coach say in scrums that being successful in the NHL, with this team, is not just about points?
Phillips for me is a curiosity more than anything. Sure, call him up after the month he's had. But I don't see it happening based on previous comments about the player from training camp, or Sutter's most recent sound-bite.

If Sutter wanted one of the guys in the line up, they would be in the lineup.

And those guys are not being successful in any metric. Sutter sees that too looking at their ice time in the 3rd last game.

[TheScorpion]

Lucic might be the least effective player in the NHL right now. He's been disastrous this year. It's nothing against him personally, he's had an amazing career, but he's not currently an NHL player.

[Finger Cookin]

Given the record of the team so far, and the expectations going into this season given the offseason moves, I get the sense of pessimism from folks and the desire to see something attempted to address the current on ice woes. I do.

Personally, I look at the results to date and while I find them disappointing to say the least, I'm not concerned at this point. I just can't be. I'd rather see the team playing like this in December than in April. Last season was one of the most exciting Flames seasons to watch in what, 20 years? 30? Longer? It was thrilling to see a top line of skilled players run roughshod over the league for most of the season. It was great seeing a goalie stonewall teams and get consideration for a Vezina trophy. It was arguably one of the most successful seasons in team history in terms of individual accomplishments and recognition.

It didn't matter much at all when the season ended.

Would seeing someone being interjected into the lineup be at least something to pin some hopes to as we enter the dog days of the season? Whether they arrive from the AHL or elsewhere? Sure. I'd like to see some guys go on a heater. I'd love our goalie to rediscover his game. I'd like to see some swagger back with this group.

But It's not keeping me up at night. I'm not watching the transaction pages and refreshing them every ten minutes. I can't. Because for me, personally, what this team does during this regular season doesn't matter until we know whether we're in the playoffs or we're not. If we're not, I can appreciate how there might be a lot of hindsight wisdom and whataboutism and the likes about how the season could have been turned around. But we're not in that place yet.

If we make the playoffs, and I still firmly believe we will, than this stretch of poor hockey won't matter. Because how the group has gelled by April, how they're playing when the playoffs start, how they look against the opposition at that time -- that will matter.

Calling up a player now, scratching others, shuffling lines, playing backups more and starters less...it's just window dressing. For me, personally. Obviously your mileage may vary, and there's going to be a variety of opinions on a forum where fans come to express themselves.

I get it. I do. But personally, I can't get caught up in at all as the calendar flips over to December.

As you were.

[Zarley]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Lucic might be the least effective player in the NHL right now. He's been disastrous this year. It's nothing against him personally, he's had an amazing career, but he's not currently an NHL player.

Have you ever played hockey? And if so, what was the highest level you reached?

Just curious as to what qualifies some of these opinions.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Zarley

Bad take. Looch has been fine in his role. He hasn't had a fantastic stretch over the last few weeks but neither has the team as a whole. In fact he's been one of the only decent forecheckers on the team of late.

Classic CP - overrating prospects and not analyzing players beyond looking at stat-lines and salaries.

Looch is a terrible, terrible player. Offense dies on his stick. He's slow.

Like Kramer's girlfriend, he's contributes nothing to society, and is just taking up space.

Yeah, yeah, he's good in the locker room. It's the exact expression we use when we describe employees who are well past their expiration date.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Lucic might be the least effective player in the NHL right now. He's been disastrous this year. It's nothing against him personally, he's had an amazing career, but he's not currently an NHL player.

It is pretty remarkable how bad Lucic was last night in 5 minutes of ice time. He is no longer an NHL player.

[DirtyMike]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Darryl has been at pretty much every Wranglers home game ... I think it's more than fair game to ask him what he thinks.

Definitely has not been at pretty much every game, since half the wranglers home games have happened while the flames were on the road.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by blankall

No F-ing %#$@. The team is great at grinding other teams down and keeping the scores down. They are playing with no offensive creativity or confidence. Meanwhile, they won't call up the guy leading the AHL in scoring.

let it out my friend

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Mr.Coffee

?

Who are you talking to?

Literally nobody has said he should be fired.

Phillips should be in the NHL right now. Like, recalled today after last nights dog#### game.

Actually some have.
But are you suggesting there isn't a clear and growing level of discontent with the coach coming from some?