Micklebot
Moderator
- Apr 27, 2010
- 54,165
- 31,367
Agree to a degree - Borowiecki isn't the ideal partner for EK, but he looks much more solid than Phillips in that position.
It's not a coincidence to me that our best defensive games this season have been games when Phillips has not played. I'm not a Phillips hater either, I think Chris Phillips could be argued as the best #3 in the league during his prime. I'm just trying to evaluate the Senators as objectively as I can as a fan. I think Phillips clearly been the worst player on the team this season and last season.
Phillips actually looked pretty good for the first ~10 games and then it went downhill from there. IMO, his age has caught up to him and he just can't handle 20 mins every night anymore. Fatigue sets in and the mental errors pile up. Boro doesn't have that issue, he's still young.
I guess my point is his overuse makes him not only exposed, but play worse than he would otherwise. His skating is still good enough for 3rd pair duties, his strength is still there, it's his endurance, decision making, and reaction time that's the issue, and the first is impacting the other two negitively. Reducing his TOI will give us a better idea of if he's still an NHL talent, but until we see that happen, we'll never know for sure.