I wrote an article on this exact topic that was published earlier today but I'd just like to reiterate the main points here.
The fourth line is horrible. Lucic, Ryan, and Nordstrom are a terrible combination and the three of them are all playing really poor hockey.
The main bad element on that line thus far has been Nordstrom, who has absolutely torpedoed the on-ice chance results of both his linemates thus far.
There's not a lot that can be done about Lucic and Ryan can still be expected to rebound with his excellent track record, but Nordstrom has been a total liability as a Flame thus far and has never been a play-driver in his career.
The Flames need to call up Matthew Phillips and give him a shot in the NHL. They have a fourth line that they know is terrible... they need to inject a guy onto that line with energy, speed, and skill. Matthew Phillips has all three of those things.
Phillips could re-shape the bottom six in a similar way to what Mangiapane did on the Ryan line two seasons ago. They need to make a change and they need to make it quickly — the fourth line is sinking this team.
__________________
"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
Last edited by TheScorpion; 01-26-2021 at 08:05 PM.
The Following 11 Users Say Thank You to TheScorpion For This Useful Post:
Agreed that bottom 6 needs to be shaken up but Phillips is definitely not the answer IMO. He would get bullied at his size.
I really don't think the size argument holds much water. He did fine in the bottom six in Stockton and that's arguably a much more physically tough league. Mangiapane is pretty tiny too and did great on the fourth line.
There's nothing wrong with giving him a shot. Can't be worse than what they're doing right now. He's scored at a great rate in the American league at a very young age.
__________________
"This has been TheScorpion's shtick for years. All these hot takes, clickbait nonsense just to feed his social media algorithms." –Tuco
The Following User Says Thank You to TheScorpion For This Useful Post:
Agreed that bottom 6 needs to be shaken up but Phillips is definitely not the answer IMO. He would get bullied at his size.
Phillips has a low centre of gravity. He's surprisingly good on his feet and even has a bit of of that Mangiapane chip on his shoulder. The team needs that kind of energy.
__________________
"We don't even know who our best player is yet. It could be any one of us at this point." - Peter LaFleur, player/coach, Average Joe's Gymnasium
The Following User Says Thank You to Harry Lime For This Useful Post:
Being from Victoria I am a huge Phillips fan. That said think it’s wishful thinking that he will be called up and put into lineup anytime soon. They will put Robinson , Ronaldo and Ritchie in before they go that way.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to kyuss275 For This Useful Post:
To tell the truth, I'm good with Gawdin and Phillips stepping in for two of Simon, Leivo or Nordstrom. From time to time.
__________________
"We don't even know who our best player is yet. It could be any one of us at this point." - Peter LaFleur, player/coach, Average Joe's Gymnasium
Last edited by Harry Lime; 01-26-2021 at 08:53 PM.
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to Harry Lime For This Useful Post:
I really don't think the size argument holds much water. He did fine in the bottom six in Stockton and that's arguably a much more physically tough league. Mangiapane is pretty tiny too and did great on the fourth line.
There's nothing wrong with giving him a shot. Can't be worse than what they're doing right now. He's scored at a great rate in the American league at a very young age.
When Dube got hurt I couldn't help thinking about how many times we lose key players in the playoffs and can't recover. This season goaltending isn't a concern and we have enough depth defensively, but what if we lose a top 6 forward? Would like to see the Flames call up or bring in another legit top 6.
I wrote an article on this exact topic that was published earlier today but I'd just like to reiterate the main points here.
The fourth line is horrible. Lucic, Ryan, and Nordstrom are a terrible combination and the three of them are all playing really poor hockey.
The main bad element on that line thus far has been Nordstrom, who has absolutely torpedoed the on-ice chance results of both his linemates thus far.
There's not a lot that can be done about Lucic and Ryan can still be expected to rebound with his excellent track record, but Nordstrom has been a total liability as a Flame thus far and has never been a play-driver in his career.
The Flames need to call up Matthew Phillips and give him a shot in the NHL. They have a fourth line that they know is terrible... they need to inject a guy onto that line with energy, speed, and skill. Matthew Phillips has all three of those things.
Phillips could re-shape the bottom six in a similar way to what Mangiapane did on the Ryan line two seasons ago. They need to make a change and they need to make it quickly — the fourth line is sinking this team.
Maybe they need to change up the 4th line personnel, but that isn’t a role that would set up Phillips to succeed. The 4th line needs mistake free simple plays to wear out the opposition. Yeah Philips needs to follow Mangiapane’s development path as a Flame not Martin St. Louis. But the problem is Mangiapane is already on the team. If he gets injured, that might be a place for Phillips.
Lucic needs confidence & hopefully tonight helps, because without it the puck is a GD Grenade to him half the time, and his ability to play mistake free hockey is impossible without it.
The Phillips are too small arguments are quite funny.
His size hasn’t hurt him at the AHL or WHL levels.
He’s the about same size as Yamamoto and he outperformed him at both the WHL and AHL level. Yamamoto came in and really energized the Oilers last year. Phillips could potentially do the same for the Flames.
And if you’re worried about his size then no better spot to ease him into the lineup than with Lucic on his opposite wing. Ryan has also proven to be a pretty safe landing spot for young forwards and he helped Mangiapane a lot.
The team could use this skill. (the play at 1:46 is my favourite)
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 01-26-2021 at 10:11 PM.
The Following 10 Users Say Thank You to SuperMatt18 For This Useful Post:
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
Exp:
Yeah i dont think a guy who is 5'6" tall and weighs 160 lbs that has niether played an NHL shift nor hockey of any kind in almost 11 months is an answer to any question on the Flames.
__________________
The Following 6 Users Say Thank You to transplant99 For This Useful Post:
A+ material and I fully agree Scorp! Great stuff, I’ve been wanting to see Phillips be given a true look for a good while now and I think he has the ability to play a bottom 6 role contrary to what some may think considering his size.
The Flames need to recall Matthew Phillips
