Each year in the NHL we run into the breakout player that takes the league by storm. You’ll always have your Connor McDavids of the world, first-round pick with high expectations. Other times you’ll have your Shayne Gostisbeheres who you pick later in the draft and they surprise you when they make such a big impact in the league.
In the case of Gostisbehere, his story is anything but normal. Coming out of Union College with some fanfare (yes, that is a thing), Philadelphia fans always expected big things out of the diminutive defender. They just didn’t suspect that it would come this soon. After accumulating 46 points in 64 games, it does beg the question if his success is it at all repeatable.
Sustainability follows all pro athletes, especially when it comes time to talk about a contract. For Gostisbehere, he can continue to be the legend on Broad Street or he can be just another defender. Taking a deep dive into the stats shows what Gostisbehere really is in a proper context.
As you can see, Gostisbehere is scoring at astronomical rates. He is nearly off the chart when it comes to those metrics. The problem really comes when talking about his possession stats. Those state clearly that he is not much better than a bottom pairing defenseman. If you aren’t going to put the puck on net very often, you must have the percentages on your side.
In all situations his shooting percentage is 10.8%, a fairly high mark considering his position. The league average normally hangs out around eight percent. Where Gostisbehere really made his living last year is on the power play. He shot nearly 13% with the man advantage. Those numbers can be sustained, but it normally ends up only happening for elite players. Those numbers also normally correspond with good possession numbers which aren’t evident in any of Gostisbehere’s game.
He could turn into a power play specialist, but for a player with the kind of hype he has around him, you want to hope that he turns into something more. You don’t want to give him first-pairing minutes and end up getting bottom-pairing results. To help his game grow, I would give him more middle-pairing minutes and a lot of power play time. It will definitely boost his numbers and it would also give him some time to learn the finer parts of the NHL’s defensive structure.
Even though he may be considered an “old” prospect, he still has only played two pro seasons before this and a grand total of 80+ professional games. Give him some time and don’t rush him. You may have something special on your hands.
(Stats come courtesy of Corsica.hockey and OwnthePuck.blogspot.com)
