Shayne Gostisbehere: Rehabbed and Reborn for The Flyers’

For the better part of three seasons the elephant in the room for the Philadelphia Flyers has been Shayne Gostisbehere and the uncertainty of his play. At one point the words “defensive phenom” was used to describe Ghost’s play and he was believed to be an uncontainable threat from the blue line with his deadly accurate shot. From the 2015-16 season to the 2017-18 season Gostisbehere amassed 150 points in 218 games played, averaging a solid .68 points per game. Then came the 2018-19 season and gone went the point producing D-Man that had become such a vital part of the Philadelphia Flyers’ foundation. 

The 2018-19 season Shayne Gostisbehere would play 78 games and contribute 37 total points for his team, not only did his point production drop by nearly half but his reliable play on defense would seem to disappear as well. The Flyers’ fan base would quickly turn on the once beloved player and frustration would grow; this frustration did not come from the belief that Ghost was a bust but that it looked to be merely a confidence issue. The horrendous Flyers’ season would come to an end and the conscious amongst Flyers fans would be a belief that Ghost just had a down year and he would come back healthy and confident. 

Well, the Flyers made some major changes within the organization, with the firing of General Manager Ron Hextall and Head Coach Dave Hakstol shook things to the core in the organization and brought the exciting feeling of something new for an organization that had grown to feel stale and stagnant. This year’s offseason would see the hiring of current General Manager Chuck Fletcher, Veteran Head Coach Alain Vigneault and the powerhouse signing of free agent Kevin Hayes. Adding to this excitement was the re-signing of forward Travis Konecny and defenseman Ivan Provorov, all signs pointed to the Flyers’ roster being a stacked threat that would make a deep run for the Stanley Cup. There was however one question that was still on everyone’s mind and that was just what Shayne Gostisbehere would people see on the ice wearing his number 53? 

Unfortunately, for Shayne Gostisbehere the off-season did not help his confidence or play on the ice, he would struggle with making smart plays on the offensive side of the ice and at times be a liability while on defense. The rise of young defensemen Philippe Myers, Robert Hagg, and Travis Sanheim would take away from his playing time along with the off-season additions of veterans Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun. Ghost would suffer a mid-season knee injury that would result in surgery and a rehabilitation stint with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. When he returned Ghost struggled to break the main roster and when he did his on-ice production was still lack luster, something just seemed off.

The season would come to a pause due to COVID-19 and reports would come out that Shayne Gostisbehere would need another knee surgery. It became hard for any Flyers fan to believe that we would ever see the blue line bomber that was once Ghost. That is until the return to play and number 53 once again stepped onto the ice wearing the orange and black. During the first game back, an exhibition game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Gostisbehere would play 18:20 minutes, in overtime he would get a takeaway that led to the game winning goal by Scott Laughton. More impressively Ghost’s stat line would show he only had one giveaway the entire game, a solid stat that had not been seen from him in quite a while. The solid play would not stop here, although he did not play the first two games of the Round Robin Gostisbehere would see 15:24 seconds during the matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightening for the number 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Ghost would launch a beautiful quick release shot from the blue line that would be tipped in by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and the first goal for the Flyers, he then in the second period set Joel Farabee up with a beautiful feed from the point allowing the Flyers to widen their lead. Again, he would only have one giveaway and displayed top level defensive play. Helping the Flyers to a 4-1 win and securing the top spot in the east.

Last night the Flyers would play the Montreal Canadiens in the opening game of the first-round playoff series, Shayne Gostisbehere would once again get the nod and he would not disappoint. Ghost was not able to put any points on the stat sheet, he was however solid on the defensive end contributing a hit, two blocks, and only one give away. One play that stood out was during a chaotic attack from the Montreal Canadians the puck was chipped up at goaltender Carter Hart, a deflection caused the puck to get lost and end up on the back of Hart. Ghost was able to get his stick on the back of Carter Hart and stop the puck from falling back into the net, saving a goal and holding the lead. The Flyers would go one to beat the Habs 2-1 in what was a very grueling game defending a hectic attacking Montreal team. 

What we have seen in the last three games maybe a small sample of a reborn Shayne Gostisbehere and that is enough to get Flyers fans excited. The confident, defensive sound, blue line threat that Ghost is makes for a dangerous matchup for any team and only strengthens the probability the Philadelphia Flyers will hoist the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of this season. There is however an issue that arises for the front office and GM Chuck Fletcher, with the upcoming expansion draft looming what defensemen are protected and what ones do they risk losing to the Seattle Kraken? I do not envy Chuck Fletcher and the decision he must make with this increcibly young, talented, and deep defensive core. I do however love seeing a healthy Shayne Gostisbehere firing on all cylinders and producing points for a surging Philadelphia Flyers.

-The Gunny