In what could turn out to be a very underrated pickup, Shayne Gostisbehere is on the move. The Arizona Coyotes announced that they have traded the veteran defenceman to the Carolina Hurricanes. Gostisbehere may not be a top pairing type of guy, but as a depth piece, he can make a huge impact. Arizona receives a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Gostisbehere has had a very respectable career for an offensive defenceman to this point. In nine NHL seasons, he has 299 career points in 511 regular season games. Now, he may not be the same player that tallied 13 goals, and 52 assists for 65 points in 78 games for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2017-18. However, any team would gladly add a depth piece with some offensive flare. Also, he is coming off a productive season, where in 2021-22 with the Coyotes, he had 51 points.
How the Shayne Gostisbehere Trade Impacts The Hurricanes
Shayne Gostisbehere is a great all-around pickup at this point of his career. With the speed of today’s game, Gostisbehere’s skating and puck movement will be an asset. He can slot in throughout the D lines, and contribute to the power play. Moreover, he has appeared in three different playoffs for the Flyers, all were first-round exits. Despite the lack of team success, he does know what it is like to play intense hockey in the spring. Look for this deal to fly under the radar, but Gostisbehere to be an impactful pickup.
How This Impacts The Coyotes
The rebuild and the fact they play in a 5000-seat arena does take effort to get on board with the organizational plan. In saying that, they do have some talented pieces in the pipeline. Their leading scorer, Clayton Keller, is still only 24 years old and does have a leadership quality to him. Lawson Crouse is another player to help lead the offence into the franchise turnaround. One more player who had a big role for Team Canada at the 2023 World Juniors, is Dylan Guenther. He was sent back to junior but was impressive in his time in the NHL. At 19, he had six goals, and nine assists, for 15 points appearing in 33 games. In addition, the deep 2023 draft should pay dividends for the team.
Main photo by: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
