Trevor Neufeld: Slumping Flames Visiting Islanders — When Does Matt Phillips Get a Look?

Thanks Trevor.

After a pretty lucky start this team is showing how the high amount of player turnover has affected them. Give them a couple more games to get their poop together.

But its time to inject some youth into the lineup. Someone who can piss off the competition and make some new friends.

Don’t expect that 3rd pair to see much ice. Mackey has looked frightened out there, maybe Sutters remarks have something to do with it.

It’s really baffling why Phillips gets no respect from the NHL team. He’s proven he can contribute at all other levels. Agree it’s time to give him a chance.

Sure hope Sutter learns to give young guys an honest look or be a long 2 more years of old slow vets taking spots cause they use to play at the NHL level

Give Phillips 5-8 games
Give Pelletier 5-8 games
Lewis can sit lucic can sit Rooney can sit there’s options here come on Sutter

Don’t expect that 3rd pair to see much ice. Mackey has looked frightened out there, maybe Sutters remarks have something to do with it.

It’s really baffling why Phillips gets no respect from the NHL team. He’s proven he can contribute at all other levels. Agree it’s time to give him a chance.
- K-man25

Wonder if he would pass through waivers again given his start in the AHL.

Wonder if he would pass through waivers again given his start in the AHL.
- Trevor_Neufeld_

Is he still 5'7" and 140 pounds? At that size, you need to be the most talented guy every time you're on the ice. He's just a smaller version of Czarnik.

- TurdFergeson

Stay classy bumhole

Is he still 5'7" and 140 pounds? At that size, you need to be the most talented guy every time you're on the ice. He's just a smaller version of Czarnik.
- Squeaky

Based on?
I didn’t see Czarnik play in junior, so not sure if this is an accurate comparison.

It really is sad as a Flames fan watching players like Jack Hughes and Cole Caulfield become productive contributors for their respective teams.
Physicality is for sure part of the game but with todays refereeing speed, skill and youth dominate.
Time to give players like Matt Phillips an honest try. He certainly deserves it and the Flames certainly need it.

Who knows anymore what to do. Could just take some time or maybe things go poorly all year. Be nice to get that first overall

That's' always been Sutter biggest flaw. He's a great coach but he'll bring in a 37 year old on his last legs in front of a young player. Did that with Gio way back when. Not sure the Flames have anything in the minors but Pelletier should for sure get some games. Phillips and Zary possibly too.

It really is sad as a Flames fan watching players like Jack Hughes and Cole Caulfield become productive contributors for their respective teams.
Physicality is for sure part of the game but with todays refereeing speed, skill and youth dominate.
Time to give players like Matt Phillips an honest try. He certainly deserves it and the Flames certainly need it.
- Fan the Flame

That's' always been Sutter biggest flaw. He's a great coach but he'll bring in a 37 year old on his last legs in front of a young player. Did that with Gio way back when. Not sure the Flames have anything in the minors but Pelletier should for sure get some games. Phillips and Zary possibly too.
- tincup

Pelletier is off to a slow start but Zary is a point a game player. Honestly think Phillips deserves a shot

It really is sad as a Flames fan watching players like Jack Hughes and Cole Caulfield become productive contributors for their respective teams.
Physicality is for sure part of the game but with todays refereeing speed, skill and youth dominate.
Time to give players like Matt Phillips an honest try. He certainly deserves it and the Flames certainly need it.
- Fan the Flame

Have you seen those three players play? Phillips' skill level is nowhere near Hughes or Caulfield, plus Hughes is a giant compared to Phillips. Phillips is a good AHL player, but he's not dominating. He's just like Czarnik was. Really good in the AHL, maybe too good for the AHL, but you can tell from watching them that they don't have the skill to overcome their size at the NHL level.

Have you seen those three players play? Phillips' skill level is nowhere near Hughes or Caulfield, plus Hughes is a giant compared to Phillips. Phillips is a good AHL player, but he's not dominating. He's just like Czarnik was. Really good in the AHL, maybe too good for the AHL, but you can tell from watching them that they don't have the skill to overcome their size at the NHL level.
- Squeaky

Phillips currently has 8 goals and 5 assists in 9 games. I doubt if there is even a handful of players on the current Flames roster that could produce those numbers if sent to the AHL.
Phillips is listed at 5'8" and 160 lbs.
Caulfield is 5'6" and 165 lbs.
Hughes is 5'9" and 175 lbs.
There was a player of similar stature playing in Calgary over the last few years. If memory serves me correctly I believe he wore number 13.

That non call on the goalie contact at the end of the game was bullish!t.

That non call on the goalie contact at the end of the game was bullish!t.
- K-man25

Agreed and the interference call on Lindholm the night before was brutal.

How do you interfere with someone when you are skating away from them.

Will the curse of Dennis Widemen ever be forgiven?

Agreed and the interference call on Lindholm the night before was brutal.

How do you interfere with someone when you are skating away from them.

Will the curse of Dennis Widemen ever be forgiven?
- Fan the Flame

I thought the wideman effect ended a couple seasons ago perhaps not

That non-call on the goalie contact at the end of the game was bullish!t.
- K-man25

Good teams find ways to win. Right now, they are finding ways to lose. Give them some time. They will sort it. That is two penalties in OT in a row.

If they bring in Phillips, it should be when they are playing well and have their poop together as a team. When/if they do bring him up, he needs to play. Not be parked on the bench.

He might be getting a lot of points in the AHL, but is he sound defensively? Everyone female doges about Sutter using older players, but he also makes the young guys earn their call-ups. I have to think they are getting Phillips to work on different parts of his game before they throw him out against top competition.

Has anyone gone to a Wranglers game? What's the cost? Seems like it might be a more economical way to see some good hockey.

Has anyone gone to a Wranglers game? What's the cost? Seems like it might be a more economical way to see some good hockey.
- DuranDuran

Junior hockey is very entertaining, kids make mistakes which in turn creates chances.

Junior hockey is very entertaining, kids make mistakes which in turn creates chances.
- K-man25

For sure.

Phillips currently has 8 goals and 5 assists in 9 games. I doubt if there is even a handful of players on the current Flames roster that could produce those numbers if sent to the AHL.
Phillips is listed at 5'8" and 160 lbs.
Caulfield is 5'6" and 165 lbs.
Hughes is 5'9" and 175 lbs.
There was a player of similar stature playing in Calgary over the last few years. If memory serves me correctly I believe he wore number 13.
- Fan the Flame

Again, have you ever seen Phillips play hockey? He has nowhere near the talent of Caufield, Hughes, or Gaudreau. Also, Caufield is 5'7" 174 and Hughes is 5'11" 175 on their teams' websites. Phillips isn't the kind of player, like Hughes and Caufield, that you can put in your bottom six for a couple of years and see how he matures. He needs sheltered minutes on the top line to succeed and he's not better than anyone they have in the top six right now.

You also don't seem to understand that the AHL's calibre of play is much, much lower. The best players in the league are gone in a year or are fringe NHLers. Phillips can outskill a lot of them. He won't be able to do that in the NHL. He's off to a good start, but he's not exactly dominating the league. 19 players have at least 12 points already. It's also only been 9 games. A hat trick is going to make your numbers look great. And anyone in the Flames top six would be able to outdo what Phillips is doing. Dube and Mangiapane put up better numbers at a younger age and still struggled to succeed at the NHL level. Jankowski is another former Flame who tore it up in the AHL, and then what? Ruzicka had an even better start last year, and then what?

If someone in the Flames' top six gets injured, sure give Phillips a shot, but everyone really needs to manage their expectations about him. This is his fifth year in the AHL. Every team's scouts have seen him play plenty of times, and there wasn't one other team that saw enough to think he was worth a roster spot.