This article is part of our Blue Line Buzz series.
He's here! Ghost Bear is here!
Flyers fans must have let out a collective groan upon learning news of Mark Streit's long-term injury. The 37-year-old will undergo surgery to fix a pubic plate detachment (sounds painful already), and the estimated time of recovery is six weeks, which puts the expected return date sometime in late December.
That's bad news for a team six points out of playoff contention and having lots of trouble keeping the puck out of its own net; the Flyers have given up 50 goals, fourth-worst among the 16 Eastern Conference teams. With Streit out of the lineup, Lightning castoff Radko Gudas (23:36) and reclamation project Michael Del Zotto (23:29) led the defense in minutes, with the much-maligned Luke Schenn skating regular shifts as well (*shudders*). They needed overtime to beat a poor Carolina team Saturday, but Steve Mason (and his 3.37 GAA) looked surprisingly good, surrendering just two goals.
But all is not lost – Streit's move to long-term injured reserve has paved the way for Union College product Shayne Gostisbehere to enter the lineup. The third-round pick from 2012 will be the first of many in the current generation of Flyers defensive prospects to graduate to the pros – in time, he'll be joined by 2015 first-round pick Ivan Provorov, 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim, 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin and 2013 second-round pick Robert Hagg. If all five reach their potential, that blue line could be as deep, if not
He's here! Ghost Bear is here!
Flyers fans must have let out a collective groan upon learning news of Mark Streit's long-term injury. The 37-year-old will undergo surgery to fix a pubic plate detachment (sounds painful already), and the estimated time of recovery is six weeks, which puts the expected return date sometime in late December.
That's bad news for a team six points out of playoff contention and having lots of trouble keeping the puck out of its own net; the Flyers have given up 50 goals, fourth-worst among the 16 Eastern Conference teams. With Streit out of the lineup, Lightning castoff Radko Gudas (23:36) and reclamation project Michael Del Zotto (23:29) led the defense in minutes, with the much-maligned Luke Schenn skating regular shifts as well (*shudders*). They needed overtime to beat a poor Carolina team Saturday, but Steve Mason (and his 3.37 GAA) looked surprisingly good, surrendering just two goals.
But all is not lost – Streit's move to long-term injured reserve has paved the way for Union College product Shayne Gostisbehere to enter the lineup. The third-round pick from 2012 will be the first of many in the current generation of Flyers defensive prospects to graduate to the pros – in time, he'll be joined by 2015 first-round pick Ivan Provorov, 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim, 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin and 2013 second-round pick Robert Hagg. If all five reach their potential, that blue line could be as deep, if not deeper, than the Blues' or Flames' corps on a good day.
Gostisbehere is a dangerous offensive defenseman, one of the most skilled players with the puck this side of Lightning prospect Anthony DeAngelo. Over three seasons at Union, Gostisbehere scored 83 points, including a gold-medal finish at the 2013 World Juniors for Team USA in his sophomore season, and nine goals and 34 points in 42 games in his junior season. He capped his college career by helping Union claim its first-ever NCAA title and being named the Frozen Four's Most Outstanding Player.
His first pro season in 2014-15 was cut short due to a torn ACL that limited him to just two NHL games and five AHL games, which may have caused him to fall off the radar, but Ghost did collect five assists in those five AHL games. He was cut from camp after being considered a long shot to make the team considering his lack of experience and injury history from the year before, but after 10 points in 14 games with AHL Lehigh Valley, it's evident this kid can play. Just watch the opening highlight of this reel, where he takes two casual strides with the puck before doing a spin-o-rama around a forechecker, hits full stride right after, then deftly uses Mike Reilly as a screen to turn a seemingly harmless sequence into a dangerous scoring opportunity.
Ghost's size and strength will be something of a concern for the Flyers, but he notched his first career NHL assist in his 2015-16 season debut and played 17:21, including a team-leading 1:01 on the power play. It shouldn't be a significant adjustment, however, since Gostisbehere managed to do just fine in the rough-and-tumble ECAC with Union despite his average build. His upside is undeniable, and coach Dave Hakstol has already thrown this kid into the fire. With Jakub Voracek breaking his goose egg and the underrated Claude Giroux, Gostisbehere has a chance to do some serious damage in the NHL.
Last week's top five performers:
John Klingberg, DAL – The Stars have scored nine goals in their past two games, both wins, and Klingberg had a point on five of them. Playing well over 20 minutes a night for one of the best offensive teams in the league – thanks to Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn – Klingberg has emerged as one of the most valuable defenseman this year. If he can do this all season, say hello to the newest member of the NHL's elite.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI – OEL has a point in five straight games, three of which were wins for the Coyotes. To no one's surprise, he's been Dave Tippett's workhorse, skating at least 26 minutes per night during his hot streak, which led to impressive one-goal wins over the Ducks and Kings. Captain Shane Doan, the self-described eternal optimist, believes the Desert Dogs have a shot at the playoffs this season. I wouldn't say that's a stretch.
Ryan Ellis and Seth Jones, NAS – These two have appeared on the scoresheet in two of the Preds' last three games, and the team's come away with wins both times. The pair combined for five points, and 19 for the season, in a 7-0 win over the Jets on Saturday. Peter Laviolette said he wants to reduce Shea Weber and Roman Josi's minutes to keep them fresh for the playoffs, and true to his word, Weber and Josi are averaging roughly two minutes less per game than last year, but there's no doubt Laviolette can do that with Ellis and Jones taking another step.
Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF – The Sabres knocked off three straight wins and then lost to San Jose by just one goal, capping off a stretch of good performances. That's been made possible by Ristolainen, who has already cemented himself as the Sabres' No. 1 defenseman. After a minus-3 performance against the Lightning, he scored six points in his next four games and logged 29:01 against the Sharks, showing his skill and leadership, but also how much trust he already has from Dan Bylsma. He should be owned in all leagues. Buffalo is a trendy team right now.
Ryan McDonagh, NYR – The Rangers have won nine straight, but something-something-something advanced stats say they'll regress. I don't doubt that will happen, but in the meantime, the Blueshirts' captain has six points in his past six games, including a goal and an assist in a 4-3 afternoon win at home in the second half of a back-to-back.
Top five trending up:
Mattias Ekholm, NAS – He didn't get a mention with Jones and Ellis, but Ekholm has also been playing well with four points in his past three games, and rounds out Nashville's very, very good crew. Ekholm's not a bad choice for those who missed out on the top four Predators, but is only worth a spot if they're scoring and winning a lot.
Adam Larsson, NJ – The Devils held Chicago to just two goals and shut out Pittsburgh, both very impressive wins. It wasn't too long ago that Larsson was close to being called a bust, but after some seasoning in the minors, he's really become one of the team's best. He regularly logs more than 20 minutes for John Hynes' surprisingly adept squad.
Oscar Klefbom, EDM – Like Larsson, Klefbom's taken a bit of time to deliver the goods. The 19th overall pick in 2011, Klefbom spent another two years in Sweden before heading to North America. He's getting the opportunities in Edmonton on a blue line devoid of veteran bodies, and he's got five points in his past five games. Forget Justin Schultz; grab Klefbom instead.
Johnny Oduya, DAL – It's about time he got into the scoring party. Oduya has three points in his past three games, bringing his total to a goal and four assists on the season. The veteran defenseman's best days are behind him, but he should be able to collect a few points hanging onto the coattails of a vaunted offense.
Kris Russell, CGY – One reason to love Russell, but never to own him in standard fantasy leagues: he blocks way too many shots. He blocked 17 shots this past week, more than anyone else, giving him a double-digit lead over Calvin de Haan for the league lead. Russell gets a lot of minutes from the Flames because of his ability to block shots, but they just aren't very good – they rely too much on blocking shots to win games. Only in leagues where blocks count will Russell have significant value.
Top five trending down:
Hampus Lindholm, ANA – The Ducks are just hard to figure out and consistency has obviously been a big problem. Just when Lindholm looked like he was rounding a corner, he puts in two stinkers back-to-back against the Oilers and Islanders. The Ducks are very lucky that the rest of the teams in the division have had cold streaks as well, and sit only five points out of a playoff spot despite a league-low five wins.
Christian Ehrhoff, LA – After sitting out two games as a healthy scratch, Ehrhoff returned to the lineup, but was once again relegated to a third-pairing role, playing just 15:10 and 15:58 against the Islanders and Oilers, respectively. The good news is that as long as the Kings keep winning Ehrhoff should remain in the lineup, but the bad news is that this surely affirms that the 33-year-old is in a pretty steep decline and can't be trusted anymore, even as a power-play specialist.
Brent Seabrook, CHI – The return of Duncan Keith should help the team overall, but Seabrook's numbers might take a small hit because Joel Quenneville won't have to rely on him all the time. After a hot stretch of play, he has just two assists in his past five games. However, he's still one of the best defenseman in the game and should score around 40 points, rather than 50, which seemed quite possible just two weeks ago.
Matt Carle, TB – The slide continues for Carle, who has yet to register a point this season, and the Lightning have been cold, losing three of their past four. Lack of production is one reason that Jon Cooper has made the veteran a healthy scratch, but the consistency hasn't been very good either. If the Lightning continue to struggle, don't be surprised if Carle's name that gets thrown around in the rumor mill.
Ryan Murphy, CAR – The Hurricanes announced Sunday that Murphy suffered a concussion in Saturday's game, a concerning injury for a player who already suffered one in major junior a few years ago. He's highly talented, but size and strength was always a concern. There's been no word on how long he will be out, but if Murphy misses Monday's game, he'll have close to a full week of rest before Friday's contest.
This week's top five picks:
P.K. Subban and Andrei Markov, MTL – The pair weren't very good against Colorado, but they should bounce back with a strong week with four games on the slate. Carey Price is slated to return soon, but probably not this week, and it's obvious the game against Colorado was an anomaly.
Kevin Shattenkirk, STL – He played over 20 minutes in his past two games after being eased back into the lineup and collected a point in his fourth game back. The Blues face Winnipeg, Columbus, Buffalo and Detroit this week, none of them particularly stingy on defense.
John Klingberg, DAL – Sure, Linus Ullmark may shut the door and Ristolainen, too, but two games against Buffalo in a week? Sign me up!
Aaron Ekblad, FLA – He's on a three-game point streak and begins a five-game homestand Monday against the Lightning and then the Ducks on Thursday. Aleksander Barkov will also return Monday, which gives the Panthers a big boost.
Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI – It's fantasy hockey, so why not shoot for the moon?
