Intriguing name lands on waivers on Thursday and we may see the Leafs put in a claim

There have been very few players placed on waivers lately, but today, an intriguing name has landed on waivers and we may just see the Leafs put in a claim. Why? Because it's a former Brad Treliving draft pick in Calgary.

The Washington Capitals have announced that forward Matthew Phillips has been placed on waivers today with the purpose of assignment to the minors.


The 25-year-old Calgary, Alberta native was drafted by his hometown team back in 2016. Naturally, he grew up cheering for the Calgary Flames. Drafted in the 6th round, at 166th overall, Phillips was plucked by Treliving, despite the odds being heavily against him due to his size.


Standing just 5'8 and 160 lbs, the energetic young forward was never able to break into the league as a regular in Calgary. He did manage to put up some solid numbers in the minors recently, scoring 159 points in 153 games during his last two seasons in the AHL.

In the off-season, Phillips wasn't re-signed by Calgary, ending his tenure with his hometown club, but he was fortunate enough to be offered a contract with the Washington Capitals. He signed a $775,000 league minimum contract on July 2nd with Washington.

With the odds against him, Phillips finally started carving out a role in the NHL this season. He has played in 27 games for Washington, but has produced just 1 goal and 4 assists during that span, largely due to his position at the bottom of the lineup with such limited minutes and matchups.

It will be interesting to see if Maple Leafs Brad Treliving circles back on his former draft pick to try and acquire his services and give him a shot in Toronto. Phillips was pretty highly-touted for some time during his stint in Calgary, so it could make some sense for Treliving to want to give him a shot in Toronto, given the minimal risk of acquiring a player on a league minimum deal.