Philadelphia Flyers: Hakstol Singlehandedly Ruining Gostisbehere
Dave Hakstol’s force-feeding is destroying Shayne Gostisbehere and, in turn, the Philadelphia Flyers.
Last season was special for the Philadelphia Flyers. In Dave Hakstol’s first season as an NHL head coach, the Flyers were able to rally late in the season and clinch a playoff berth. The emergence of rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere played a large in that late-season push thanks to his aggressive play in the offensive and neutral zones.
Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse this season. Hakstol has scratched Gostisbehere twice over the last two months, which could be affecting the second-year player’s confidence.
Part of what makes Gostisbehere a special player is his initiative in the offensive zone. Gostisbehere is gifted with the puck on his stick and routinely creates opportunities that help get the puck in the net. Because of how aggressive he is, it sometimes leads to odd-man rush opportunities for opposing teams.
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Hakstol has a major problem with that.
Both times Gostisbehere has been scratched this season, Hakstol claimed he wanted the Florida-born defenseman to improve his defensive game by viewing the game from the press box. By doing this, Hakstol is seemingly trying to force Gostisbehere to abandon his capabilities as an offensive defensive and become more defense-oriented. After all, Gostisbehere is, in fact, a defenseman.
The issue, however, is that Hakstol is trying to morph Gostisbehere into a player he simply isn’t.
That is concerning.
Before being scratched in a November contest against the Winnipeg Jets, Gostisbehere recorded 10 points in the Flyers’ first 17 games of the season. Since then, he has recorded only nine points in 26 games. Is it just a coincidence that Gostisbehere’s numbers have dropped since being scratched or is Hakstol’s force-feeding hindering him from producing at the level he flashed as a rookie?
Even more concerning is how Gostisbehere has become the designated scapegoat of the Flyers’ blue line as Andrew MacDonald, one of the team’s weakest skaters, continues to receive top minutes.
Gostisbehere is not a complete player by any stretch of the imagination. He has flaws. But by scratching him for playing an aggressive game, Hakstol is slowly killing off the magic that made Gostisbehere such an exciting player as a rookie.
