Matthew Phillips is back with the Washington Capitals.
Phillips, who was waived by the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, was reclaimed by the Capitals on Tuesday after he was initially plucked off of waivers by the Pens in mid-February.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the news. He initially tweeted that the Calgary Flames had claimed Phillips but corrected himself moments later.
It is Capitals that reclaimed Phillips
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 5, 2024
Phillips posted four shots on goal but did not register a point in his three games with the Penguins, averaging 11:19 of ice time per game. In his first extended stint in the NHL, Phillips has recorded five points (1g, 4a) in 30 games.
The Capitals securing Phillips means that no other NHL team put in a claim on the diminutive forward. Since they initially placed the 25-year-old on waivers, the Capitals freely assigned Phillips to the AHL’s Hershey Bears without the risk of losing him again.
He’ll join a Bears squad that recently saw the surprise arrival of Evgeny Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov practiced in Hershey for the first time on Tuesday.
NEWS | The Capitals have claimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and have loaned him to the Hershey Bears. https://t.co/Mtove77klT
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) March 5, 2024
Phillips’ return comes at a very convenient time as to be eligible for the Calder Cup playoffs players need to be on an AHL roster before the March 8 trade deadline. The Capitals sent Pierrick Dubé back to Hershey on Monday likely to make room on their 23-man roster to be able to make this move with Phillips.
The Capitals and Penguins will play each other on Thursday in Pittsburgh.
Here’s the team’s full release on the claim and assignment to Hershey:
Capitals Claim Matthew Phillips
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have claimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins and have loaned him to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL), president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.
Phillips, 25, has recorded five points (1g, 4a) in 30 games with the Capitals and Pittsburgh this season. Phillips, who played 27 games for Washington before being claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh on Feb. 16, scored his first career NHL goal and tallied his first assist in the Capitals’ 3-2 shootout win over the Calgary Flames on Oct. 16. Phillips, a Calgary native, was drafted by the Flames in the sixth round (166th overall) of the 2016 NHL Draft and spent seven years in the Flames organization before signing with Washington last summer. In 33 career NHL games with the Capitals, Penguins and Flames, Phillips has registered five points (1g, 4a).
Phillips recorded 76 points (36g, 40a) in 66 games with the Calgary Wranglers of the AHL in 2022-23. Phillips led the AHL’s top-regular season team in scoring and ranked second in the AHL in goals and fifth in points. Phillips was named to the AHL’s First All-Star Team last season and played in the AHL’s All-Star Game in 2020. In 265 career AHL games, Phillips has registered 237 points (103g, 134a). The Calgary, Alberta native played four seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Victoria Royals, recording 281 points (136g, 145a) in 215 career games.
