‘Ghost’ seeks second chance after second knee procedure
VOORHEES, N.J. » Having spent much of the past two seasons trying to recapture the fancy form he showed earlier in his Flyers career, Shayne Gostisbehere’s journey recently took another turn.
The once speedy and confident young defenseman underwent a second knee surgery during the pandemic shutdown, one he hopes will finally lead to the kind of performances that landed him here in the first place.
“It was something I was trying to rehab personally, and I hit a point where there was no way I could rehab it anymore,” Gostisbehere said Monday on a video chat, referencing a right knee surgery he had “about seven weeks ago.”
It was just in January when Gostisbehere, clearly struggling and having lost his position on the No. 1 power play unit and his spot on the top defensive pair, opted for a left knee surgical clean-up in hopes that it would yield a smoother stretch drive for him.
Clearly that was hope was only halfway fulfilled, yet the coronavirus pandemic interceded and offered Gostisbehere time to finish the job on the right side.
“I had to get a small (arthroscope) done again,” Gostisbehere said. “It was different. It didn’t have to do with any tendons or anything. Just a small little cartilage thing. Obviously, (I’m) trying to battle back from that.”
The main problem, Gostisbehere said, was an imbalance of strength in his legs.
“Just power (with) push-off,” he said. “I was compensating so much over time. My quads were really uneven. It was hard to fix it off the ice, workoutwise. I had to get a procedure done and that helped a lot, getting my body back in line and feeling good again. It’s definitely been a tough road, especially with all this stuff going on. I am not going to feel bad for myself. There’s a lot of bad stuff going on in this world that people are worried about. I am just going to do my best to get back and be healthy.”
While many of his teammates weren’t afforded the opportunity to get much time on the ice during the NHL’s fourmonth-old pause, Gostisbehere really is starting all over again. He does so now with the thought of merely capturing a starting role for the Flyers’ defense.
“I haven’t really skated too much,” he said. “It was awesome to get out there with the boys (Monday) and see where I was at. It was a good benchmark to see where I am. I am definitely not where I want to be, but I think just progressively working into it.
“My ultimate goal is to get back in the lineup. Get out there and do I what can do to contribute to this team and win a Stanley Cup. Right now, I’m just focused on good skates out there and getting that feeling and whatnot. It’s been tough; I’m just grinding my way.”
••• Gostisbehere has his work cut out for him. Not that he needs it, but perhaps he got a little push of motivation Monday by the news that the Flyers had offered Phantoms defenseman Mark Friedman a major league contract.
The one-way NHL deal for Friedman is for two years at an average of $725,000 per season for 2020-21 and ‘21-22.
Friedman, 24, scored 18 points in 45 games for the Phantoms. He was steady in six call-up appearances for the Flyers this past season, garnering one assist in the process.
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Another defenseman in this second training camp who will be seeking playing time is Egor Zamula, an undrafted prospect signed in Sept. of 2018 by Ron Hextall. Zamula subsequently made huge strides in junior, until a back injury limited him to just 28 games this season for the Calgary Hitmen. He underwent back surgery in January.
In that time, however, Zamula averaged a point per game.
“He’s a young man, who was obviously injured at the end of last season, had surgery at the end of the season and has now gotten to a point where he’s been cleared for full participation,” Fletcher said. “Certainly his talent would allow him to play, in my opinion. He’s a very talented young man. Having said that, we are certainly cognizant of the fact that he is coming off of a tough surgery and he’s 20 years old. I think we felt that it would be good for him long-term to come back and to participate and skate with our group.
“Over the next two weeks, the coaches will have to make that decision whether he would be a factor for (games). Make no mistake about it, this kid is a top prospect and is going to have a very good career for us.”
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In keeping with the defensive theme, Matt Niskanen also weighed in Monday, noting how the players have a long way to go to get sharp, and saying their momentum from a winning streak near the end of winter is, indeed, a thing of the past.
The Flyers won nine of their last 10 games before the season “pause” was called on March
12.
“I think any momentum we had is gone now,” Niskanen concluded, “but our job and overall goal is to get back to where we were at and build on it. We’ll see how it goes.”
Niskanen, along with so many teammates, remains optimistic for what lies ahead.
“There might be a little rust,” Niskanen said. “You might need little reminders on how we play and what we do in certain situations. It should come back quite quickly. I think the biggest thing for us is to be together a lot, be on the ice, get lots of reps.
“We built some team chemistry throughout the year. That should come back real quick now that everybody is here. Guys are excited. We’ve earned the opportunity to be one of the top seeds in the East that a good shot at pointing to our potential.”
As for the overall view of this long first Flyers season, Niskanen referenced the pandemic shutdown and said, “The world is pretty bonkers right now. It’s hard to believe, really, from where we were March 11 or 12, and everything that’s transpired to now. Nothing’s normal.”