Last night’s major headline was that the Philadelphia Flyers traded defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to the Arizona Coyotes, alongside a second and seventh round picks, for cap relief. A Gostisbehere trade was inevitable since he’s been on the trade block for a few years, he was placed on waivers and went unclaimed this past year, and he was sitting in Alain Vigneault’s doghouse. There seems to be a disconnect on social media as to why the Flyers made this deal and why the Flyers had to attach a second round pick. First and foremost, in terms of hockey and finances, this trade was necessary, needed, and very helpful. There are a lot of layers to this trade and once we dive into all of them, it should make more sense.
Shayne Gostisbehere bursted onto the scene in 2015-16 season. He broke Barry Beck’s record for longest point streak by a rookie defenseman at 11 games, he then became the first rookie in NHL history to score 4 OT goals in a season, and then he posted the third best point streak by a rookie defenseman in NHL history at 15 games. All in all, it was a spectacular season and he was rewarded as runner-up for the rookie of the year, losing out to Artemi Panarin.
2 years later he posted a career high 65 point and formed a lethal trio on the power play with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. However from 2018-19 onwards, he was never the same player, never had the same on-ice impact, and was essentially a shell of his former self. In the three seasons proceeding, he only played 161 games due to injuries or being a health scratch, and only tallied 23 goals and 69 points in that span. Essentially a point tally he accumulated in one season (2017-18).
For a lot of people, this trade stings because he was such a fan favourite. No argument there, when he was on his game, he was a difference maker. However, he hasn’t been on his game in over 3 years and his play has really deteriorated. Injuries have played a part but his defensive game cost him a spot on the roster, especially with Vigneault at the helm. It seemed that under Dave Hakstol, Gostisbehere had the freedom to do as he pleased and he really produced. Under Vigneault’s system, Gostisbehere never found the rhythm and footing to keep himself penciled in the starting lineup.
Yes, it was frustrating seeing players like Nathan Prosser, Erik Gustafsson, and Robert Hagg playing while Gostisbehere was sitting in the press box, but he fell out of favour. Subsequently the writing was on the wall in terms of his future in the orange and black and it was rather bleak. It has become a league of “what have you done for me lately?” And as of late, he hasn’t performed to his contract.
I’ve mentioned this before but the flat cap has really thrown a wrench in everyone’s plans. If the cap was at the projected 92-93 million it was supposed to reach, then we might not be having this discussion at all. There aren’t many teams out there that have the ample cap space to take on a contract like Gostisbehere’s and the interest level was very low. Considering he was on waivers and no one claimed him, that should’ve been a sign of how low his trade value was.
There are a lot of comparisons on social media about how, currently, Gostisbehere is younger, cheaper, better, and more productive than Duncan Keith. Yes, that is correct but people seem to be forgetting that Edmonton Oilers general manager, Ken Holland, seemed to have wanted Duncan Keith at all costs. When the news broke out that the Chicago Blackhawks were trying to trade his services and not retain salary, only one team remained in the hunt and it was Edmonton.
Comparatively, Keith is 38 (turning 39) and making 5.5 million, while Gostisbehere is 28 (turning 29) and making 4.5 million. Gostisbehere had 9 goals and 20 points in 41 games, while Keith only managed 4 goals and 15 points in 54 games. The issue between the two players was level of interest. Chicago knew they could get what they wanted from the Oilers because Holland wanted the player. The Flyers gauged the trade market time and time again and found nothing. Every team is desperate for cap right now, so Arizona took advantage and got a second round pick on top of a decent player.
I have no doubts in my mind that Gostisbehere will thrive or at least play better in Arizona. Less pressure, smaller market, and better/more opportunities. He had his moments in Philadelphia, especially his rookie season and 2017-18 but for whatever reason, he could never find his rhythm again. Even though his 4.5 million cap hit isn’t as astronomical as Voracek’s 8.25 or James van Riemsdyk’s 7, he completely fell out of favour. They had in-house replacements for Gostisbehere but the same can’t be said about Voracek or van Riemsdyk, who are both still productive players. Based on the moves they were trying to make, they had no room for him anymore.
The Flyers needed all the free cap space they could get and Gostisbehere was the first domino to fall. It’s tough to come back from being in the doghouse of the current coaching staff, being a healthy scratch, and then going unclaimed after being placed on waivers. It was a fun ride but it’s been an inevitability for a few years now.
The post The Inevitability of a Shayne Gostisbehere Trade appeared first on Philadelphia Sports Nation.
Leave a Reply