How long will Gostisbehere stay?

Ron Hextall said on Saturday night he will be watching Shayne Gostisbehere "like a hawk."

Gostisbehere, 21, was on the ice for one Red Wings goal - a play in which he got caught trying to make a stop in the neutral zone and lost his stick - but also registered one shot on goal in 12:27 of ice time. The Flyers had just 17 of those.

After getting a chance to sift through the video from a win in which the Flyers were dominated, coach Craig Berube liked what he saw from Gostisbehere's NHL debut.

In fact, Gostisbehere maybe even exceeded expectations - since he excelled in one area the Flyers' defense has really struggled.

"I thought after he got comfortable, he was fine," Berube said. "He moved the puck, I thought. He got up in the play. I thought he had real good gaps in the game, to be honest with you. He's good at that. He's good at anticipating and getting up on people. That's a good quality."

The big question: how was Gostisbehere in the corners and in front of his own net? He is just 5-foot-11 and weighs no more than 175 pounds soaking wet.

"It was his first game, so that's going to take a little time - that part of it," Berube said. "Guys are quicker up here, they play at a higher pace. That was a quick (Detroit) team. They use a lot of cutbacks, they cycle the puck well, they're strong with it.

"I thought he was OK, though. He made some good reads defensively. He didn't run around. He went back to his net, which was important. That was important stuff. That was good to see."

So, where do the Flyers go from here?

Hextall made it abundantly clear he was "not happy" being forced to use Gostisbehere so early in the season, with such little pro hockey seasoning. He even went as far as saying Gostisbehere is only here "day-to-day."

"He's not here a month," Hextall told reporters Saturday. "He's here today. We'll see tomorrow and the day after that. There are no guarantees for him here or anybody else, for that matter. If there's a point where I feel like it's not the best thing for Shayne Gostisbehere, which will be because maybe he's not playing up to where we need him to play, he'll be back in Allentown."

Hextall could have certainly opted for Oliver Lauridsen or Brandon Manning, two Phantoms defensemen with NHL experience, to play against Detroit based on principle alone. The fact Hextall settled on Gostisbehere, after consulting Berube and Phantoms coach Terry Murray, spoke volumes about Gostisbehere's upside.

"The one thing I'm not going to do, I'm not going to sacrifice and not give this team a fair shot at winning a hockey game for the wrong reason," Hextall said.

Hextall search high and low for a possible replacement. Since the Flyers are operating in long-term injury on the salary cap, there is only so much salary they can take back in a trade. Plus, the list of quality players available on the trade market is slim.

For now, the Flyers are hanging with Gostisbehere. They kicked the tires on defenseman Ryan Whitney, but so far, nothing has materialized.

Whitney, 31, is signed to play for the KHL's HC Sochi. He wasn't in the lineup for their game on Sunday night in Russia, which probably lengthened the time the Flyers will take a peek at Gostisbehere.

The Flyers wanted scouts to see Whitney play and see what kind of shape he is in before making any sort of deal. He isn't expected to play until Wednesday in Russia.

According to sources, Whitney would likely be willing to accept a two-way contract offer from the Flyers, which includes an AHL component. He has an "out clause" in his contract with Sochi to return to North America at any time.

A team source said no firm offer has been made to Whitney and no terms of a deal have even been discussed.

There was no real rush on Sunday to try and broker a deal after Gostisbehere's serviceable start. The next step is possibly increasing his workload on Tuesday night against Los Angeles. He played by far the fewest minutes of the Flyers' six defensemen.

"Let's just see how the game goes," Berube said. "He's a young kid. You've got to be careful."

On Twitter: @frank_seravalli