The Flames have avoided arbitration with one of their remaining restricted free agents as the team announced they’ve re-signed Matthew Phillips to a one-year deal. The two-way contract will carry a cap hit of $750K in the NHL. PuckPedia adds (Twitter link) that Phillips will make $140K at the AHL level.
The 24-year-old is coming off a career year at the AHL level. After failing to reach the 40-point mark in his first three professional seasons, Phillips picked up 31 goals and 37 assists in 65 games with AHL Stockton; his 68 points led the Heat in scoring. He also chipped in with eight points in 13 playoff contests. However, he didn’t see any action with Calgary and has just one career NHL appearance under his belt from the 2020-21 campaign.
The league minimum cap hit in the NHL means that Phillips ultimately accepted less than his qualifying offer. The arbitration filing simply stood to try to get him a higher price tag in the minors (he received a $60K bump from a year ago) and ensured he’d have a contract in place long before the start of next season. Phillips will once again be waiver-eligible next season and while he passed through unclaimed a year ago, it may not be as much of a guarantee this time around after finishing ninth in AHL scoring last season.
Flames GM Brad Treliving still has a lot of work to do with his restricted free agents. Andrew Mangiapane and Oliver Kylington are among those that are scheduled for arbitration hearings next month while Adam Ruzicka and Martin Pospisil also are in need of new contracts.