Flyers' Shayne Gostisbehere showing promise

Logic says Shayne Gostisbehere, who missed most of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, will soon be sent back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms to gain more experience.

But the 5-foot-11, 186-pound defenseman is making the Flyers' brass pause before making a decision.

Gostisbehere, 22, whose speedy skating is built for today's NHL, scored a pair of goals Tuesday in the Flyers' 5-3 preseason win over the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center. He survived 23 cuts Wednesday, which brought the Flyers' roster down to 35.

Last season, Gostisbehere was limited to a total of seven NHL/AHL games because of his injury. Is that enough games to make the jump to becoming an NHL regular?

"I don't know. Experience is everything," he said. "The more games I get, the better I'll get. I mean, just playing games, making plays, getting better and learning."

Tuesday was a great night to be a former Union College player. Gostisbehere and Rangers defenseman Mat Bodie each had two goals _ on the same ice where they helped tiny Union defeat Minnesota, 7-4, for the NCAA championship in 2014. Gostisbehere was plus-7 in that victory.

After Tuesday's win, veteran forward Sam Gagner, a first-year Flyer, was asked about his impressions of Gostisbehere and 18-year-old rookie Ivan Provorov, a promising two-way defenseman.

"The future looks bright there, for sure, said Gagner after scoring a goal in the victory. "They were making great plays all night. [Defenseman Travis] Sanheim, as well. They're all guys that step up to the plate and make a lot of great plays and advance the puck really well. That's what you need in today's NHL. . ..a good puck-moving defense that can advance the puck and allow you to play in the other teams' end, and all three of them are that."

Out of that trio of rookies, Gostisbehere was the only one to survive roster Wednesday's cuts.

The Florida native said he was trying to "make it a hard decision" for the Flyers to send him back to the Phantoms.

With eight defensemen on one-way contracts, however, it will probably take a trade or an injury for Gostisbehere to find himself on the opening-night roster Oct. 8.

Health-wise, the player they call "Ghost" has passed an early test. Gostisbehere, who has gained 15 pounds from last year's camp, said his surgically repaired knee has felt no ill effects, even after playing games on consecutive nights.

"You're pushing it in games, of course. Back-to-back is a great test for my leg, even for the wind," he said. "It feels great out there and gives [me] a bunch of confidence for the future."

A future that looks oh, so bright.

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull