Shayne Gostisbehere will get a fresh start in Arizona after the Coyotes and Flyers completed a trade on Thursday.
The 28-year-old Gostisbehere heads to the Coyotes, along with second- and seventh-round picks in 2022. Philadelphia will get “future considerations” in exchange.
“We are very pleased to acquire Shayne,” said Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong. “He is a very good offensive defenseman and an excellent skater. He will be a solid addition to our blueline this season and will be a key power play player for us.”
“This was a difficult decision but one we thought was necessary given the reality of the salary cap,” said Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher. “Shayne has been a quality player for this organization since the moment he arrived in Philadelphia and has been a part of many special moments in his seven seasons as a Flyer.”
Change of scenery needed
In parts of seven seasons in Philadelphia, Gostisbehere had 60 goals and 219 points in 381 games. The defenseman scored double digit goals in two of his first three NHL seasons, but his production has cooled since. His struggles got to the point where he was a healthy scratch under Alain Vigneault multiple times and was even waived.
The acquisition of Ryan Ellis last week and development of prospect Cam York meant Gostisbehere’s time in Philadelphia was coming to an end.
Trading Gostisbehere clears a contract that carries a $4.5M cap hit in each of the next two seasons. The actual dollars owed is less than that with a $1M base salary and a $2.25M signing bonus over the next two seasons, per Cap Friendly.
For the Coyotes, they’re willing to add cap hits in order to help replenishes draft capital. This move gives them seven second-round picks over the next two drafts. This deal comes days after Armstrong helped the Islanders out by acquiring Andrew Ladd for three picks.
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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.