Capitals ‘checked a lot of boxes’ for free agent Phillips

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During his minor-hockey days, Matthew Phillips always wanted to wear No. 8.

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A nod to a certain sharpshooter, his could-be teammate next season with the Washington Capitals.

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“I was a huge (Alex) Ovechkin fan,” Phillips said. “I wore No. 8 for Ovechkin. That was my number, all the way until I hit junior. I actually have an old Caps jersey, but it doesn’t fit me anymore.”

Phillips will be fitted for a new jersey — and all sorts of other swag — after signing a one-year, one-way contract with the Capitals over the Canada Day long weekend, ending his stint in the Flames’ system. The Calgary-raised right-winger will earn US$775,000 in 2023-24.

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Phillips’ departure is a source of major frustration for many in the C of Red.

They’re not ticked at this tiny talent, listed at 5-foot-8 and 160 lb. In fact, most will be rooting for him to succeed in D.C.

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But they’re disappointed that this minor-league scoring whiz, especially when he was tearing up the AHL this past season, never received a legitimate look with the Flames. Darryl Sutter, since fired as the head coach at the Saddledome, didn’t seem to believe this local lad could be a difference-maker in the NHL and didn’t allow much of an opportunity to be proven wrong on that. When Phillips was called up from the Wranglers in December, Sutter scratched him for seven of nine games.

Flames fans are now worried this homegrown hopeful will be the next one that got away. They will point out their favourite squad is starved for production from the right wing, and this guy just happens to specialize in that.

Phillips put up 36 goals and 40 assists in 66 outings with the Wranglers in 2022-23. His stat sheet featured 15 game-winners, a record-tying tally.

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While the Flames offered a new contract, believed to be a two-year deal, Phillips figured the future looked better in D.C.

It likely won’t be much consolation to hear that this was a difficult decision.

“I’d be lying if I said that it was an easy thing to turn the page here,” said Phillips, who racked up 236 points across his five winters with the Flames’ farm club and was rewarded with a grand total of three appearances in The Show. “I’ve loved playing in Calgary this whole season for the Wranglers and all my time here, doing different camps and my time with the Flames. It was definitely not an easy thing to land on. But at the end of the day, I just thought this was a good opportunity. It seems like a good fit for me.”

Now 25, Phillips is still chasing the same dream.

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He wants to be a full-time NHLer. He hopes to make that happen in Washington. The Capitals are affiliated with the Hershey Bears, who just won the Calder Cup, so he’ll be joining a contender if he is ultimately assigned to the lower level.

“I’ve said this before — that’s my goal every summer and going into every training camp is to make the NHL team and to play in the NHL,” reiterated Phillips, who averaged upwards of a point-per-game in his past two minor-league campaigns. “I feel like hopefully I have a decent chance to achieve that in Washington. By no means is it something that is going to be handed to me. It’s something I have to work for. You have to beat guys out of jobs. But I’m excited for that challenge.”

Phillips, selected by the Flames as a sixth-round long-shot in 2016, was an unrestricted free agent for the first time this summer.

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The Capitals called before any other suitor from outside the 403 area code. Spencer Carbery, now bench boss in Washington, personally reached out. He’d presumably heard good things from Mitch Love, who he recently hired as one of his assistants.

“I had a good handful of teams that were pretty serious about me,” Phillips said. “I just think Washington, they checked a lot of boxes and they seemed to like my game and what I can bring. That’s what you’re looking for when you hit free agency is a team that wants you and you want to go there. So I’m excited for it.”

Phillips, on his way out of town, wasn’t going to grouse about his lack of opportunity in Calgary.

“You can only control what you do,” he reminded. “Whatever situation I was put in, I tried to do my best and make the most out of it. Everyone has their reasons for making certain decisions and choosing certain guys to be in spots, and I can respect that. That’s the business. It is what it is.

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“I have no ill wishes against anybody.” 

As the Calgary kid prepares for this move, the well-wishes are flowing in.

From friends and neighbours and minor-hockey teammates. They hoped he would star for the Flames. Now, they will be cheering for him to be a contributor for the Capitals. (Spoiler alert: He won’t be wearing No. 8. That still belongs to Ovechkin.)

“I’ve had so many people reach out to me and, throughout the years, support me and tell me that they’re a fan of myself, and I’m very grateful for that,” Phillips said. “Not a lot of kids get to play in their hometown, play professional hockey and suit up for their NHL team, so that’s something that I will always be very proud that I achieved. I have a lot of positive memories to look back on.”

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/WesGilbertson

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