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The Philadelphia Flyers, sans Shayne Gostisbehere, were shutout for the second game in a row. The Flyers lost 1-0 in OT to the LA Kings on Saturday. On Monday night, the St. Louis Blues jacked up the Flyers 2-0.
Gostisbehere has not played in a game in the month of February.
Why?
One can help but conclude that there is a a real possibility that the Flyers are looking to trade the dynamic defender for a proven top six forward.
The Flyers could trade "Ghost" today and have him replaced ten minutes later by Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim or Sam Morin. Rob Hextall has an embarrassment of riches with regards to young, skilled, NHL ready D-man already in the pipeline.
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I wish I knew what motivated the decision making process of Philadelphia Flyers (59 points) head coach Dave Hakstol.
The second year head coach has his team clinging to the second Eastern wild card berth by the skin of his knuckles right now. The Flyers have played 53 games and have just 59 points in the bank. The Flyers have have several teams chasing them down from behind who have as many as three games in hand on the Flyers. Yet Hakstol continues to bench the 2015-16 NHL Rookie Of The Year nominee, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere.
I'm amazed that Philly fans aren't picketing Hakstol's questionable coaching tactics outside the arena. I can see Flyer fans calling local sports call-in shows and slamming Hakstol if the coach continues to throw shade at "Ghost".
The one thing that the Flyers need more of right now is offense. Why Hakstol continues to try to teach a lesson to his most offensive D-man is beyond me.
The Flyers rank 25th in the NHL today with just 82 even strength goals scored in their 53 games played. That's a 1.55 even strength goals per game average. Only Buffalo, New Jersey, Arizona, Florida and Colorado have scored fewer goals for at 5v5.
Hakstol is truly thanking his lucky starts that his power play unit is currently ranked fourth overall in the NHL with 39 PPGs, otherwise, he'd be trending towards the cellar of the Eastern standings. Hakstol will once again healthy scratch Gostisbehere tonight against St. Louis.
"Ghost" scored 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games last season. He has just four goals and 21 points in 48 games this season which ain't exactly chump change.
"Ghost" is still on pace for 7 goals and 29 assists in 82 games. I'd take that kind of production from a still learning sophomore.
Hakstol has been asked by Philly media about his hard-line stance on benching Gostisbehere to which he replies he is simply “trying to dress the best roster possible to win hockey games. Point blank.…
Hakstol is preaching a tight neutral zone trap scheme these days. He's trying to limit the scoring chances and shots against his at times brutal goaltending. All well and good, however, this is the NHL, not the NCAA. Teams still have to put the biscuit in the basket with regularity. Still have to be score. In Saturday’s 1-0 overtime loss to the Kings, the Flyers got defensive but put just 17 shots on goal. Sans "Ghost", the Flyers have a 1-1 record. The Flyers lost 1-0 in OT to the LA Kings on Saturday afternoon while mustering only 17 shots on goal in 60+ minutes of play.
Gostisbehere is being replaced in the lineup by journeyman Nick Schultz, who is not exactly the second coming of Drew Doughty last time I checked.
With the March 1 NHL trade deadline fast approaching, one wonders if Flyers GM Ron Hextall is willing to trade a valuable young asset like Gostisbehere in order to acquire a veteran power forward who can play 20 minutes TOI per night and score even strength and on the PP.
Is Hextall going to flip his depth at defense in order to fortify his offense and goal scoring?
In their family today, the Flyers are bursting at the seams with fine, young blue liners.
Robert Hagg and Sam Morin are very close to making their logical progression to the NHL. Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers are going to be excellent NHLers in the near future as well.
Hextall and Hakstol may be of the mind to trade a young star like Gostisbehere to secure a veteran scorer like Evander Kane, Matt Duchene or Gabe Landeskog.
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Speaking of Kane, he is locked into quite a zone these days.
Evander Kane has 10 points (5G, 5A) in his last 12 games and hasn’t gone three games without recording a point since mid-November.
Since December 3, the Vancouver native has scored 14 goals, 13 of which have come at even strength.
Kane is healthy and competing hard every shift. He is attracting a lot of attention from several NHL teams like LA, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary and Colorado.
The Sabres are in Newark to play the Devils tonight.
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Ryan O’Reilly has 13 points (3G, 10A) in 14 games since returning from an absence due to an appendectomy.
Cody Franson has six points (2G, 4A) in his last seven games, including four points (1+3) in his last four road games.
Jack Eichel has logged four two-point games in his last nine outings.
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Evander Kane has eight points (3G, 5A) in his last five road games. With a point tonight, he’d have points in six straight road games for the first time in his career.
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With seven points (4G, 3A) in his last six road games, Brian Gionta is riding his longest road point streak since he posted points in a career-best eight straight road games from March 21 to April 18, 2006.
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Tim Murray has signed defenseman Justin Falk to a one-year contract extension worth $650,000.
Falk will be available for the Vegas expansion draft.
Since joining the Sabres as a free agent on July 1, 2016, Falk (6'5", 222 lbs.) has appeared in 35 games for the team, posting three assists and averaging 13:11 of ice time per game. The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team has signed defenseman Justin Falk to a one-year contract extension worth $650,000.
Since joining the Sabres as a free agent on July 1, 2016, Falk (6'5", 222 lbs., 10/11/1988) has appeared in 35 games with three assists and averaging 13:11 of ice time per game.
A fourth-round pick (110th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft, Falk has recorded 27 points (2+25) in 206 games during parts of seven NHL seasons with Buffalo, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. The Snowflake, Manitoba native has added 42 points (9+33) in 270 AHL games during six AHL seasons, including 10 games with the Rochester Americans in 2016-17.
A fourth-round pick (110th overall) in the 2007 NHL Draft, Falk has recorded 27 points (2+25) in 206 games during parts of seven NHL seasons with Buffalo, the Columbus Blue Jackets, the New York Rangers and the Minnesota Wild. The Snowflake, Manitoba native has added 42 points (9+33) in 270 AHL games during six AHL seasons, including 10 games with the Rochester Amerks in 2016-17.
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Keep an eye on the Vancouver Canucks.
With 52 points, the Canucks are chasing a Western Conference playoff berth. They enter Monday's slate of games five points out of a playoff spot.
The Canucks continue to window shop for a scoring power forward. Canucks GM Jim Benning has been patiently searching the marketplace for a power forward who can score at even strength and in the PP.
The Evander Kane for Ben Hutton trade rumors died down on November 24 when the latter signed a two year contract extension of two years and $5.6M.
Hutton had been linked to the Buffalo's Sabres since last July. Tim Murray has been looking to add a top four left shot D who can play 22+ minutes per game at 5v5 and on the PO.
Hutton and Sabres #1 D Rasmus share the same player agent.
Hutton practiced on Sunday and then again on Monday morning. Hutton was paired with Nikita Tryamkin in Monday.
In January, Hutton suffered a hairline fracture of a finger and was forced to sit out 11 games.
The 6'2" 210 pound D has scored 4 goals and 7 assists in 41 games played this season. Hutton has one power play goal and 6 PPP.
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Speaking of young defenseman generating a tremendous hockey buzz before the March 1 NHL trade deadline, say Hello to Brandon Montour.
The 22 year old abrantford, Ontario native and Anaheim Ducks blue chip D prospect scored his first NHL goal in Tampa inn Saturday night.
Montour is a two time AHL All Star and is frankly too good a player to be riding buses in AHL San Diego. The Ducks are blessed to have two bombers in Montour and Shea Theodore maturing nicely in their AHL incubator.
Time is up. Both Montour and Theodore are seemingly wasting their time dominating opponents on a nightly basis in The A.
Bob Murray is not going to be trading Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson nor Kevin Bieksa any time soon.
Bob Murray will have trade either Montour or Theodore in order to score a top six power forward who can light the lamp.
The Ducks are on an east coast roadie right now and Montour and Theodore are attracting a lot of attention.
The Ducks are still clamoring to add another top six forward who can score at even strength and in the PP.
Keep an eye on Buffalo, where the Ducks will play on Thursday night.
I've been telling you for months about a Kane for Theodore or Montour opportunity.
Both Montour and Theodore are on this eastern roadie, which will atop in Manhattan Tuesday night before puddle jumping to Buffalo in Thursday night.
The Colorado Avalanche have been scouting the Ducks quite a bit lately, too.
Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog can certainly deliver the good to Bob Murray and the Ducks.
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The Philadelphia Flyers are scratching second-year defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere tonight. It's the third straight benching for "Ghost" and the fifth health scratch of the season for the star defender.
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SportsBusiness Journal compiled TV ratings information for 21 U.S.-based NHL clubs.
Twelve of the teams posted ratings declines.
The Colorado Avalanche have seen the largest decline, down a whopping 57%, as the club is tanking this season away to improve their odds of winning the NHL draft lottery.
Nine teams saw their TV ratings increase over last season.
The Columbus Blue Jackets, whose ratings are up 110% after the team reeled off 16 straight victories earlier this season. While the New Jersey Devils have struggled, their acquisition of star winger Taylor Hall has boosted their ratings 58 percent.
The Buffalo Sabres are the top of the NHL TV ratings food chain.
The Sabres once again have the NHL's highest TV ratings. Sabres games on MSG are averaging a 6.43 rating, down a smudge from 2016-17.