What you say is rational however there may sort of be a caveat here
Because the return for them is not much, you could let them have another opportunity without risking anything. Phillips is in the AHL so give him half a season to show a significant upgrade in decision making and using his size to be more physical
Reichel has the skating and probably the ability to score and make plays; this season the Blackhawks NHL roster has a dearth of this desirable quality. Would like him to play some games on a top line and be told to relax “you are getting an opportunity with top players.”
Personally I am more skeptical of Phillips but dman can take longer for the light bulb to turn on. He has to show signs of definite improvement’while Reichel needs a fair opportunity told no pressure he stays in lineup for a while but needs to show he can play consistent and contribute some points
- jhawk59
I see Phillips as a piece in a larger deal where the other team is trying to shed cap space, or packaged in a deadline trade. As for Reichel, he's probably dealt for another guy with a similar story, in a change of scenery trade. Something similar to Morin for Panik, though I don't expect the Hawks to luck out quite like that.