PITTSBURGH – President and general manager Kyle Dubas has used the waiver wire to his advantage since joining the Pittsburgh Penguins. That trend continued when the Penguins claimed forward Matthew Phillips from the Washington Capitals.
Phillips is a 25-year-old forward with 30 games of NHL experience under his belt. 27 of those games have come with the Capitals this season, where he scored a goal and four assists for five total points.
Phillips has one year remaining on his contract that will earn him $775,000 against the salary cap.
The 2023-24 season was Phillips’ first with the Capitals after being a sixth-round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2016. Phillips spent parts of six seasons with the Flames’ AHL affiliate, the Stockton Heat.
In 265 career AHL games, Phillips has scored 103 goals and 133 assists for 236 total points. His best year came last year when he scored 36 goals and 40 assists for 76 points in 66 games.
This waiver claim is the third of the year for the Penguins behind Jansen Harkins and John Ludvig, both of whom have seen regular time in the NHL lineup. With the amount of injuries piling up and the need for fresh talent on the roster, Phillips will likely see regular time, too.
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