Chuck Fletcher's worst trade as GM is now well known
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Joshua
November 29, 2023 (12:49)
The worst trade by Chuck Fletcher may not have been acknowledged or even considered. In July of 2021, he traded defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere to the Arizona Coyotes.
This was a salary cap dump, and the Arizona Coyotes gladly accepted the defenseman. Taking on the defenseman's $4.5 million contract, they received a 2022 2nd round pick and a 2022 7th round pick, along with Gostisbehere.
The Flyers, fancying themselves as a playoff team after a disappointing 2020-21 campaign where they finished with a 25-23-8 record, traded the $4.5 million cap hit of Gostisbehere, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Coyotes for no return. In essence, the Flyers gave up assets to try and acquire a new-look defense that could potentially help them regain their success in the 2019-20 season, where they ended with a 41-21-7 record.
Gostisbehere was a consistent offensive defenseman for the team, but they decided not to keep him.
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The team felt he wasn't performing up to standards during the 2020-2021 season, so they sent him out to retool the defense.
Meanwhile, the team acquired Ryan Ellis, Ramus Ristolainen, and Keith Yandle to fill the gaps. In 2023, Ryan Ellis no longer plays in the NHL, Keith Yandle no longer plays and Ristolainen is finally finding his footing under John Tortorella.
During his time with the Coyotes, Gostisbehere was one of the team's better offensive contributors. He put up an impressive 51 points in 82 games, averaging a career-high in average ice time with 22:11. To date, this was the only full season he had ever played, not missing a single contest due to injury or ailments. Fairly quickly, the Flyers' trade was seeming like the wrong one in hindsight.
Under head coach Derek Lalonde, Shayne Gostisbehere's career has arguably revived.
Throughout his career, he has been able to adapt to the systems of different teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes, and now the Detroit Red Wings.
With the Detroit Red Wings this season, he has 5 goals and 13 assists for 18 points, not an insignificant number.
In addition to being among the top ten players in the NHL for points, he has proven to be an impactful player.
Previously on FlyersInsider
| POLL |
29 NOVEMBRE | 134 ANSWERS Chuck Fletcher's worst trade as GM is now well known Should Shayne Gostisbehere have been traded? |
| Yes | 35 | 26.1 % |
| No | 99 | 73.9 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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