Calgary Flames Off-Season Mistake May Haunt Them for Years

Matthew Phillips was passed on by the Calgary Flames this offseason, as he spent two years vying for a roster spot with the squad. Now, he is attending the Capitals training camp, where his stock has gotten a major boost.

The young forward started the camp battling for a spot on the roster and has made his way up the depth chart to playing on the top line with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Phillips had this to say about playing with two of the greats.

Phillips has dodged Washington's most recent cuts and hopes to make a statement in the final week of camp, earning him a spot on the roster.

Phillips is a small forward, coming in at 5 foot 7. His speed, however, makes up for the lack of size and allows him to play both ends of the ice. His ability to get up and down the ice helped him score a goal and an assist in an important preseason game against Detroit.

This could be deja vu for Calgary Fames fans, though, as they have been haunted by their rejection of an undersized forward named Martin St. Louis. St. Louis was undrafted and started his career trying to crack the Flames roster. After two years of being unsuccessful, he took his talents to Tampa Bay, where he went on to have a hall-of-fame career.

While it's unlikely that Phillips has a similar career trajectory, he can certainly look to St. Louis for inspiration.

As seen on Markerzone - "Calgary Flames Reject Likely to Line Up With Alex Ovechkin on Opening Night"