Fletcher casts a Ghost to the waiver wire
The Flyers created some news in Buffalo Tuesday and they didn’t even have to almost lose to the worst team in hockey to do it.
Shortly before the club practiced in New York’s western glamour town between game days with the Sabres, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher announced that defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had been put on waivers. In marking the importance of this surprise announcement, Fletcher added ... nothing.
That job was left to head coach Alain Vigneault, who took to Zoom after a practice session – one that included defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere, by the way – to clarify the situation one day after a desperate comeback produced a 4-3 overtime victory over a Sabres team that hasn’t won in 18 games. That’s where it all got a little bit murkier. “It just gives us a little more flexibility with player personnel,” Vigneault said. “I’m not sure about my lineup tomorrow. I’m not sure that he’s going to be in, and if he’s in then he’s in and if he’s not then he’s on the taxi squad, and it permits us to have one more player available on our roster. So it was just a question of a little bit more flexibility.”
For these CoVID-inspired taxi squad rules, which hopefully will see their end after this season, teams can essentially plant four to six forwards on a supporting cast roster. But to be placed there, all waiver rules must be honored.
Despite waivers once being a potential precursor to a player being demoted to the AHL and/or clearing roster space for a trade acquisition, this move wasn’t of that sort, nor a matter of much concern, in Vigneault’s view.
“It permits us to play Shayne and it permits us to (put him) on the taxi squad and maybe have one or two more options up front or on D,” Vigneault said. “Shayne, like the rest of our group, has had some consistency issues. He’s not the only one. But this move just permits us to do exactly what I said; it gives us a little more flexibility with the personnel we have here right now.”
Considering Taxi Squad people are permitted to travel and practice with regular squad players, Vigneault said the Flyers’ traveling party in Buffalo this week includes eight defensemen and “quite a few forwards.”
Consider it a possibility that with Sam Morin in town, the Flyers could use him as both forward and occasional-shift defender, which would leave open a spot for another forward to be part of the lineup Wednesday night.
So is that what all the speculation was about, or does the possibility for some type of transaction still shadow this team? With no GM response immediately available, Vigneault wasn’t about to speak for Fletcher.
“I think I need to get this group, defensemen, forwards and goaltenders, to play better,” Vigneault said of the possibility of either a trade or a player promoted from the Phantoms. “Yesterday is an example; in the first two periods Buffalo was the better team on the ice and in the third period we were the better team. We were able to come back, which is positive and not easy to do in this league. But I need as a head coach to get this group - forwards, D’s and goaltenders - to play better, and that’s what I’m working on doing.”
As for the possibility of Gostisbehere, who at 27 is a tenured offensive defenseman with 210 points in 365 NHL games, being claimed by another team? ... Suffice to remember that the Ghost has two years beyond this season left on a contract paying him an average salary of $4.5 million.
Anyone want to use up that kind of cap room for him?
“I can’t speak for the other teams,” Vigneault said. “Maybe he is claimed, maybe he isn’t. I will say again, the purpose of this is, obviously, Shayne, like the rest of our team, and he’s not the only one, has had some consistency issues. But this permits us to be flexible.”
Oh, and one more thing, Vigneault added: “We do believe that he’s going to clear waivers.”
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With Carter Hart left behind to continue trying to find himself, 35-year-old Brian Elliott will likely be starting his third straight game Wednesday night. Naturally, then, he’s
the player chosen to comment on the surprise move to put Gostisbehere on waivers.
“It’s a business and it’s a passion and we’ve been playing the game our whole lives,” Elliott said with interview savvy. “When you get to this level, winning is expected, and it’s demanded. And some moves and situations, you don’t understand quite all the aspects of it. But I think for everybody it’s taking it the right way and trying to get better.”