Gostisbehere gives Flyers a jolt of youthful energy
Ron Hextall is not the only general manager in the NHL who would prefer to proceed with caution when it comes to throwing his young defensemen into the deep end of the pool. Examine the second and third rounds of the 2012 NHL draft and you'll find that only five of the 15 defensemen taken in those rounds have skated on NHL ice. None of the 15 had seen significant time before this season.
Ron Hextall is not the only general manager in the NHL who would prefer to proceed with caution when it comes to throwing his young defensemen into the deep end of the pool. Examine the second and third rounds of the 2012 NHL draft and you'll find that only five of the 15 defensemen taken in those rounds have skated on NHL ice. None of the 15 had seen significant time before this season.
Necessity, however, can be the determining factor as to when it is time for some youthful intervention. If veteran Mark Streit didn't go down with an injury so severe that it required surgery, 2012 draft picks Shayne Gostisbehere and Taylor Leier probably would still be getting seasoning with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Streit's injury did not just open a slot in the defensive rotation for the electrifying Gostisbehere, it also created the salary-cap space needed for Leier to join the big club after winger Ryan White went down with an upper body injury last week. Gostisbehere and Leier immediately became two of the best skaters on a team severely lacking in that area, which is why you could argue that they did not get here fast enough.
You hate to describe injuries as serendipitous and Streit is a solid NHL player, but the Flyers needed an injection of youthful energy and that's what Gostisbehere has given them.
"I think that's a real common theme that when a young guy comes in, he brings life and he brings energy," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said. "There's no question the young guys in the room have done that. But they've been able to do that because they are confident in their game and they feel like they can contribute here and that's the kind of energy you want."
Hakstol said that before the Flyers' game against the first-place Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center and his opinion was only confirmed during his team's 3-2 shootout loss.
In Gostisbehere's fourth NHL game, Hakstol decided that the 22-year-old American was ready to do more than just swim. The rookie coach also sent the rookie defenseman off the high dive, letting him play the point on a power play that has sagged near the bottom of the rankings all season.
"He's got a natural moxie up there in playmaking ability," Hakstol said. "We want him to go out there, be comfortable and make plays, but also keep it simple and bring a little bit of a shooting and a playmaking mentality. Just go out there and make the plays that are in front of you."
A play materialized for Gostisbehere on his first power-play shift. Nineteen seconds after the door to the penalty box closed on Kings defenseman Drew Doughty, Flyers captain Claude Giroux found Gostisbehere just inside the blue line. The rookie whipped a shot that slid beneath goalie Jonathan Quick to give the Flyers a 1-0 lead 3 minutes, 41 seconds into the game.
The Flyers had four more power-play opportunities after that and failed to score again, but it was clear that Gostisbehere's presence at the point created a different kind of pressure than any other defenseman on the roster. A shot from the point late in the second period created chaos in front of Quick, but as has been the case so many times this season, the Flyers could not turn it into a goal.
Another vote of confidence came in overtime when Hakstol sent Gostisbehere out with the first unit and he showed he belonged by creating opportunities for himself and others on the open three-on-three ice.
Leier, playing in just his second NHL game, was not nearly as much of a factor during his limited time on the ice, but there are other young players playing at Lehigh Valley who could be and should be here at some point this season.
In fact, most of the 2012 selections appear to be ripening. First-round pick Scott Laughton is already here, although he saw limited ice time Tuesday night. Goalie Anthony Stolarz, the second-round pick that year, also joined the team before Tuesday's game. He arrived with a 1.90 goals-against average in 17 games with the Phantoms.
Gostibehere was the third-round pick and Leier a fourth-round selection that year. Center Nick Cousins, 22, was the third-round pick the year before and he has five goals and 10 assists for the Phantoms. Hakstol said it's a fine line to know when a player is ready to dive into the deep end of the pool.
"Oh, absolutely," he said. "There is certainly not a black and white line that you know when they cross over. For the two young guys who played the other night in Carolina, they did a good job for us, so now you turn the page and hope they come back tonight with good confidence and try to make a difference again tonight."
Gostibehere did with his presence at the point and during the three-on-three overtime. For a team in need of his energy, it was a huge boost.
@brookob