There’s a new guy in town, by the name of Matthew Phillips.
The Penguins announced this afternoon that they have claimed the forward off waivers from the Washington Capitals. Washington had waived him yesterday.
I didn’t expect him to be claimed by anyone, but clearly Kyle Dubas saw something in him, enough to put in a claim for Calgary native.
Phillips, 25, has played 27 games for the Capitals this season, registering 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 total points.
Phillips is better known for his defensive work, at least at the NHL level. He was a -2 on the season in Washington, but considering he was playing in the bottom six for a team who has a -37 goal differential (6th worst in the NHL), that’s not bad at all.
He’s also a very disciplined player; in 277 total minutes on the ice this season (10:16 on average a night), he has yet to record a single penalty.
Part of that probably stems from his lack of physicality. Phillips is a 5′ 7, 140 pound winger, so he won’t be bringing much in the hitting game with him to Pittsburgh.
Phillips is currently tied for being the shortest player in the league, along with Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens, and Trey Fix-Wolansky of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
And although he has yet to see his scoring touch translate to the NHL level, Phillips has shown the ability to light up stat sheets in the past. Last season for the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL, he led his team in scoring, with 36 goals and 40 assists. His 76 points were good for 5th in the entire American Hockey League, and led the Wranglers.
In 2021-22, back when the Wranglers were known as the Stockton Heat, Phillips tallied 31 goals and 37 assists. His 68 points that season was good for 9th in the entire AHL, and the Stockton lead.
This season, 2023-24, has been Phillips’ first real chance in the National Hockey League. He made his NHL debut for his hometown team, the Calgary Flames, during the 2020-21 season, but that was his only game of the year. Last season, he got into 2 games with the Flames.
The Capitals signed him to a contract this summer and opted to deploy him in their bottom six. However, after an underwhelming offensive output, the team waived him.
His only NHL goal came against his hometown/draft team, back on October 16th.
While he has not excelled on offense in the NHL this season, it is interesting to note that he has more points in the league this season (5), than Jansen Harkins, Noel Acciari, Matthew Nieto, Vinnie Hinostroza, Colin White, and Johnathan Gruden.
Perhaps with Phillips here, the Penguins opt to re-assign either one of Gruden, White, or Hinostroza back to the AHL. Hinostroza seems like the most likely to me, given he was the odd man out Thursday night in Chicago. Gruden, White, and Valterri Puustinen all played to help fill in for an injured Penguins lineup, but Hinostroza was the sole forward that was a healthy scratch.
However, White could be an option too. He has 0 points in 9 games this season, which have included some games playing on the second line.
Depth scoring has been a real problem for the Penguins this season, and although Phillips does not have the NHL track record to contribute to a solution, sometimes a change of bodies is needed anyways.
Regardless of what happens with Phillips, it’s an interesting pickup for the Penguins. It’s Kyle Dubas’ third waiver wire pick up this season, but his first one to take place during the season. He claimed Jansen Harkins from the Winnipeg Jets and John Ludvig from the Florida Panthers before opening night.
Phillips is under contract for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, on a one-way deal paying him $775K.
(Featured photo from the Washington Capitals)
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