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Pittsburgh Penguins claim forward Matthew Phillips off waivers

Originally posted on Daily Faceoff | By Mike Gould | Last updated 2/16/24

The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Washington Capitals, TSN’s Chris Johnston reported Friday afternoon.

Phillips, 25, has one goal and five points in 27 games with the Capitals this season. He’s under contract through the end of the year on a one-way deal carrying a $775,000 NHL cap hit.

The Capitals originally signed Phillips on July 1, 2023 as an unrestricted free agent from the Calgary Flames, with whom he spent the first five seasons of his professional career.

Phillips appeared in just three NHL games over two seasons with the Flames before leaving for D.C. as a free agent.

Pittsburgh claims Matthew Phillips off waivers from Washington.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) February 16, 2024

The Flames originally selected Phillips in the sixth round (No. 166 overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft, using a pick they acquired from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward David Jones.

Phillips scored 48 goals and 112 points in 71 games with the Western Hockey League’s Victoria Royals in the 2017-18 season before turning pro on a full-time basis the following year.

During his tenure with the AHL’s Stockton Heat and, later, the Calgary Wranglers, Phillips established himself as one of the top players outside the NHL. He led the Flames’ farm team in scoring three years in a row and was named an AHL All-Star in 2023.

The 5’8″, 160-pound Phillips played sparingly in the NHL during his time in the Flames organization but made the Capitals out of training camp ahead of the 2023-24 season. However, he was unable to lock down a consistent spot in the lineup with the Capitals and was frequently made a healthy scratch before being waived on Thursday.

Through 30 career NHL games over parts of three seasons with Calgary and Washington, Phillips has collected five points. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be in the lineup for the Jake Guentzel-less Penguins when they return to action against the L.A. Kings on Sunday.

This article first appeared on Daily Faceoff and was syndicated with permission.

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