When the Philadelphia Flyers open their season on January 13th, defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere hopes to be in the lineup. Something, that just last season wasn’t 100% set in stone.
After an injury that saw Gostisbehere miss time & lose his spot in the lineup, his name began to arise in trade talks again. Talks that Gostisbehere said he heard & understood.
“Yeah, I’m getting pretty used to it now. It’s been a couple of seasons now going,” Gostisbehere said when asked about the trade rumors. “Obviously, I pay attention to it because it’s my life and I’ve built a life here in Philly.”
Gostisbehere went on to say “it’s definitely not the best when you hear your name in trade rumors, but nothing happened, and I am happy to be here and help my team do the best.”
Even with the rumors, Gostisbehere did not let it get to him. Instead, the fifth-year pro focused on the two thing he could control, his health & game.
“Yeah, I had a lot to worry about on my part. I was just trying to get healthy and back to the player you know I used to be,” Gostisbehere said to get his mind off the rumors. “Obviously, I felt not 100%, so for myself, I had a lot to worry about. The best I could do was worry about what was in my control, and that was getting healthy and being back to having that ability to be a good player again.”
Now, 100% healthy, Gostisbehere is in Flyers camp to make a difference again on the Flyers. Something head coach Alain Vigneault believes Gostisbehere has a real good opportunity at.
“I had a very good meeting with Shayne prior to camp. We both expressed ourselves. He’s a very smart young man. He wants to play and wants to help this team win,” Vigneault said in reference to Gostisbehere. “He’s going to get an opportunity. He’s got to prove himself obviously. I think for the first time since I’ve been here, he’s 100 percent healthy, which is real positive for him. He’s coming in here with a real good attitude.”
Vigneault did note that “obviously, with no exhibition games, but we’re paying a lot of attention to the scrimmages. We’ve got that inter-squad game on the 10th. We’ll see what happens, how well he plays and how well he can help contribute to us winning some games.”
To make the lineup, Gostisbehere will have to beat out one of Justin Braun, Robert Hagg, or free agent signee Erik Gustafsson.
Zayde Wisdom Impresses On His First Day Of Camp
Flyers 2020 4th round pick Zayde Wisdom missed Day1 of training camp due to unknown reasons. But, that did not stop the rookie from impressing on Day2 in his Flyers training camp debut. An impression that caught the eye of head coach Alain Vigneault.
“I liked his jump. I really thought he got in hard on the forecheck on a couple opportunities,” Vigneault said about Wisdom after his first day at camp. “Obviously for a young guy coming in, there were some nerves. I got to talk with him a little bit yesterday. Got an opportunity talk a little bit with him today. I liked what I saw on the ice. It was a first day for him. Let’s see if he can follow it up.”
Wisdom will not make the Flyers this season. But, it’s good to see the head coach point out a bright spot in the young Flyers game.
Photo Credit : Zach Hill – Flyers PR
