Philadelphia Flyers: Shayne Gostisbehere could be made expendable

A numbers game on defense and inconsistency on his part could have Shayne Gostisbehere out of a Flyers uniform.

Shayne Gostisbehere has seen his name in plenty of trade rumors the last few seasons. And it’s not exactly something to question. His play has gone downhill fast over the last few years. And with players ahead of him, we could finally be seeing the end of Gostisbehere in a Flyers uniform.

The first thing that comes to mind is maybe his knee never healed properly. What makes that hard to believe is the incredible rookie season he had following his rehab. And then a breakout season in 2017-18, three years removed from surgery.

He did end up having surgery on that same knee this season to clean things up. But the signs were there long before this season. His sharp decline began a year ago. After posting a career high 65 points, Gostisbehere racked up 37 last year. That was his lowest total in the NHL.

The Flyers are getting deeper on the backend and have skilled players already in the NHL. Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers have already jumped ahead of Gostisbehere on the depth chart. The former is 24 while the latter is 23. Gostisbehere turned 27-years-old a month ago.

The Flyers also have defensemen in the pipeline who could quickly move up. Egor Zamula will be turning pro this season and is looking like another undrafted gem. Wyatt Kalynuk is rumored to be turning pro as well. Mark Friedman has been threatening to take a spot on the blue line.

And let’s not forget about Cam York. The Flyers first round draft pick from this past offseason is not expected to be a four-year college player. With a big sophomore year, it’s possible he could turn pro next summer.

As the blue line currently stands, the Flyers have Matt Niskanen and Ivan Provorov on the top pairing. Sanheim and Myers make up the second. Justin Braun is likely to head to free agency. He was a positive for the Flyers this season, but his age will make them wary of a possible contract.

Robert Hagg is the wildcard. He has the potential to hit free agency this offseason. It won’t cost the team much to bring him back for another season. He is serviceable enough to throw out with limited minutes on a third pairing. But he is certainly a weak link on a strong Flyers defense.

If Hagg is re-signed, Gostisbehere would likely be fighting for the sixth/seventh spot once again. Especially if Friedman makes the team out of camp, which is a big possibility. Add Braun back into the mix as well and that playing time is almost non-existent.

It would likely come down to next trade deadline for anything to happen. It’s looking like there won’t be much of an offseason with the direction this season is going.

Gostisbehere is on a team-friendly contract and under control for the next three seasons. With an offensive skill set and the potential to regain his form, the Flyers could find something for him on the trade market.

Unless he finds a way to bounce back in a big way, he won’t be in a Flyers uniform much longer.