STREIT ACQUISITION NOT PAYING DIVIDENDS THUS FAR
With each passing year, it has become tougher and tougher for NHL teams to significantly upgrade their bluelines through trades and free agent acquisitions. It is very much a seller's market.
On a leaguewide basis, teams are locking their desirable defensemen into long-term contracts before the players hit the unrestricted free agent market. Those who do opt for UFA status command extortionate prices -- both in cap hit and length of contract.
The exceptions are the bargain basement options who linger on the market beyond the early days and weeks of free agency (oft-injured players, guys coming off multiple subpar seasons or who are otherwise unwanted by most teams).
For example, Ron Hainsey was basically persona non grata after the lockout. He sat out on the market all summer and had to sign a one-year, $2 million contract with Carolina (a 56 percent paycut from his previous deal with Winnipeg) to have a team this year. Hainsey has been a useful acquisition. He has averaged 21:14 of ice time for the Hurricanes this season and has chipped in three goals and eight points.
On the trade front, it's a similar picture. Trade prices are inflated for proven defensemen, although there could be some bargain rental players available.
This is the backdrop and context to the Flyers' acquisition of Mark Streit this past June. The Swiss defenseman was not going to re-sign with the Islanders, and the Flyers pre-empted his unrestricted free agency by trading for his rights and signing him to a four-year, $21 million deal ($5.25 million cap hit), with $7 million coming in the first year between a $5 million base salary and a $2 million signing bonus.
Given the less-than-overwhelming UFA defense market, Streit was in the driver's seat. The Flyers had to pay him full UFA market value to get the deal done. Right from the get-go, there was no question the team had to overpay the player. The length of the deal was especially risky because Streit, who turned 36 on Wednesday, falls under the NHL's over-35 contracting rules.
Here's the bottom line, however: It's a sign of the times. The Flyers had two options when they looked to add to the defense corps over the summer. Option one was to expend a lot of trade resources to trade for a proven defenseman. Option two was to overpay an aging defenseman contract-wise but not have to expend (significant) trading assets to add him to the roster.
Well, actually the Flyers had a third option. That would have to just say no to what was on the top of the UFA and trade markets and perhaps add a bargain basement type just before the season. However, that has never been the organization's preferred approach.
At any rate, Philadelphia chose option two and knowingly overpaid to bring in Streit. Even from the get-go, however, it was debatable whether Streit was really what the Flyers needed to improve their blueline from an on-ice standpoint.
Yes, they were looking for a proven puck-mover. However, while the undersized Streit is an offensive-minded defenseman, his main asset is his shot more than his mobility (which is nothing special). He's a good passer, too, but certainly not a panacea in transforming a team's breakout game. Defensively, he has always been strictly average.
Streit's play thus far for the Flyers has been a disappointment. He hasn't displayed enough of the things he does well. Namely, he needs to shoot the puck more than he has. His 10 assists in 32 games are also too low for a player of his style.
It was unrealistic to expect Streit to singlehandedly transform the Flyers' D-to-O attack but it is fair to expect him to produce at a prorated 10-goal, 30-assist pace. He hasn't even come close to that in the first half of the season.
As for his defensive play, well, the Flyers had to know what they were signing up for when they acquired him. I don't think Streit has been a defensive disaster -- although he was pretty bad in the team's six-game road trip -- but he does get exposed at times.
One fan comment I frequently hear about Streit is that he's a "turnover machine." He has had a few costly turnovers up ice that have ended up in the Flyers' net, which are inevitably the ones that people remember. On the whole, though, he has not been charged with an excessive number of giveaways (18 to date; which is actually not bad for defenseman who's main job it is to handle the puck frequently). I could actually live with a few MORE giveaways if it meant his production also correspondingly increased to make up for it.
Bottom line: In order to better pull his weight in the lineup, Streit needs to move the puck a little more consistently and produce more points than he has . His defense will never be what keeps him as a regular in the lineup and he needs to maximize the areas that are supposed to be his strengths.
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Gostisbehere's Star Rising
Union College defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere has come a long way since the Flyers drafted him in the third round (78th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft. He's played for the gold medal winning Team USA at the 2012-13 World Championships. He's increased his production at Union. He's continued to improve defensively, although the converted forward is primarily an offensive-minded Dman. Importantly, he has also added some muscle to his 5-foot-11 frame.
Gostisbehere was listed at 170 pounds at the time the Flyers drafted him. My first impression of him at the Flyers 2012 Development camp was he was that his skill level -- skating, passing and shooting -- was very high but his frame was pretty small and I didn't know how much bulk he could add.
In the time since then, Gostisbehere has worked hard to start building more physical strength, although he's probably not going to a fireplug type like Kimmo Timonen (who, despite his lack of height, has powerful legs and is quite strong pound-for-pound). The main thing is just that he doesn't get physically manhandled when he gets to the professional level.
The Flyers' organization is encouraged by what it's seen across-the-board from Gostisbehere in the year-and-a-half since he was drafted.
"Shayne has gotten bigger and stronger, as have all our prospects since their Draft year. As you know there are guys who are playing in the NHL with varying sizes. When the time comes that Shayne has the opportunity to play at the NHL level, his size will not be an issue," said Chris Pryor, the club's Director of Scouting.
From a defensive standpoint, Gostisbehere will face some adjustments when he gets to the pro level. He takes his share of risks with the puck and relies on his mobility to recover if he turns the puck over and gets caught out of position. Although he's not a big body checker, there is also a bit of a feisty streak in his game.
Offensively, Gostisbehere had strong instincts in reading the play. He already has an NHL-caliber shot from the point and he can thread the needle with many of his passes. He will be a power play defenseman at the pro level, although whether that will be of a first-unit caliber remains to be seen. There's less time and space at the top level.
It also remains to be seen whether the 20-year-old Gostisbehere will turn professional at the end of this season or elect to play his senior year and try to add a little additional muscle. He has already aged out of the World Junior Championships, so there is no opportunity for him to further expand the role he played last year -- which was set back by a one-game suspension for a spearing incident.
My take: I think Gostisbehere is ready for the AHL right now. He has averaged close to a point per game for Union this season -- which is especially significant because the ECAC is not usually a high-scoring collegiate conference -- and I think he'd be better served to turn pro at the end this college season, put in a few late season games with the Phantoms and then play his first full pro year next year.
In any event, whether he turns professional after his junior or senior season, the Flyers have pledged to be patient with Gostisbehere's development. He is going to face adjustments when he rises to the next level. No doubt there will be growing pains and ups and downs where he is on the ice for his share of goals against while the points may be sporadic for awhile.
It's all par for the course of developing a young defenseman and it's not always a linear process. There are often periods of stagnation or even regression along the way. There is also no guarantee of a payoff down the line.
However, as I inferred in the top section of today's blog, it is becoming more and more important for NHL teams to develop their defensemen from within. It's grown harder to bring in proven defensemen from the outside at anything resembling reasonable prices.
I honestly think the Flyers have come to recognize that the League as a whole is moving in the direction of trying to build the blueline from within. There have been positive signs in the last couple years that they are committed tol nurture the young defensemen in the system with more patience than they may have shown in the past. This goes for Gostisbehere as well as 2013 draftees like Samuel Morin and Robert Hägg and current minor leaguers like Mark Alt.
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Note: I will do my holiday hockey books blog later this upcoming week.
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