Gostisbehere making the most of his situation

When Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere was placed on waivers last week, he took it both personally and professionally.

You want to be wanted. And surprisingly nobody wanted a 27-year-old defenseman with five goals, six assists and a $3.25 million salary.

“Obviously, you never want to be put on waivers,” Gostisbehere said Monday. “But we’re in a very unique season. A unique situation. Obviously, we’re not winning a lot of games right now. And obviously management is going to do whatever they have to do to make our team better. You’ve just got to roll with the punches. It sucks but I missed one game and I’m back in the lineup. I’m just going to stay positive and keep rolling.”

Gostisbehere is at a turning point in this, his seventh season in the league, all with the Flyers.

There are rumors the Flyers will add a defenseman before the April 12 trade deadline, although that likely is contingent on how they fare in their next four games, three of those games against the Boston Bruins, who held the fourth and final playoff berth in the East by four points over the Flyers entering their game Monday at TD Garden.

The Flyers want to get a good look at 21-year-old rookie defenseman Cam York, who will begin practicing soon with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. General manager Chuck Fletcher is ecstatic over the potential of York, who scouting reports peg as a classic two-way defenseman.

And of course, there’s the upcoming expansion draft that will stock the Seattle Kraken, which begins play next season. Gostisbehere suits all the criteria necessary to be made available for that draft.

Ghost has between now and then to change the minds of management. He’s already taken one for the team by going on the Taxi Squad. He still gets paid his base salary, yet doesn’t count against the Flyers’ cap.

Occupying the Taxi Squad is humbling. It’s not so bad, yet something you wouldn’t think about putting at the top of your resume.

“It’s just a label,” Gostisbehere said. “It’s not like I go in a different locker room or I go somewhere else. I’m on the Taxi Squad. I’m on the active roster. It’s not like you see it. Obviously, you hear it, you’re on the Taxi Squad or whatever. But like I said, our management, their job is to put the best team out there they think can win games. For me, I’m just going to do what I can do, do what’s in my control. And that’s playing hockey, playing good out there and trying to help this team win games.”

Blocking all of that out and playing every shift like it’s the last is the ultimate test for Gostisbehere, who has undying loyalty to the

Flyers organization despite being on “that top 20 trade list thing for three seasons now.

“It is what it is,” Gostisbehere said. “It comes with the nature of the business and professional sports. It can weigh on your mind a little bit because you’ve built a life in this city and you know, with just a snap of the fingers you could be somewhere else. So, it’s obviously something you think about.”

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Brian Elliott was in goal Monday for the Flyers.

Carter Hart is on deck for Tuesday when the Flyers take on the Bruins at Wells Fargo Center. Hart is coming off his best effort of the season, albeit in a shootout loss to the Islanders.

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NOTES » Flyers coach Alain Vigneault scratched forward Oskar Lindblom Monday in favor of Michael Raffl, who returned after nagging injuries. Vigneault has rested Lindblom regularly in the second half of the season, the veteran coming back from cancer treatment … Rumors persist that the Flyers are interested in trading for 27-year-old left winger Johnny Gaudreau of Calgary by way of Salem, N.J. Gaudreau has 13 goals and 14 assists in 39 games this season for Calgary, where he’s spent his entire eightyear NHL career. He counts $6.75 million against the salary cap this season, and if he isn’t dealt now a no-trade clause kicks in for the 202122 season.