Most pundits had the 2015-16 Philadelphia Flyers team outside the playoffs. They missed the playoffs last year, and returned largely the same team but headed by a rookie NHL coach.
More hardcore fans were also aware of the Flyers stockpile of top young defensive prospects. Shayne Gostisbehere, Samuel Morin, Robert Hagg, Travis Sanheim and Ivan Provorov all have exciting futures, but it was a longshot that any of these very young talents would make the team out of training camp. It was no surprise when the Flyers sent all these players back to juniors and the minors to start.
The Flyers also began this season with a bit of deja vu. The assistant coaches stayed the same, the on-ice system was pretty similar, and most personnel choices were nearly identical. It wasn't a surprise when they slumped towards the bottom of the league like last season.
The Flyers were looking for an identity that represented this new era, even if there were already a few signs of their play on the ice heading in the right direction. Enter Shayne Gostisbehere.
"Ghost" made his regular season debut in Nov. 14. Some of it may be good timing, but the numbers are beginning to pile up, pointing to a Ghost effect.
On Nov. 13, the Flyers were 5-8-3, and had the second-fewest goals in the NHL. Since that time, the Flyers have managed 10 wins in 18 games. Viewed alternatively, the Flyers were operating at a 5v5 Corsi percentage of 48.6 at the time. Since, their 5v5 Corsi has kicked up to 51.3 percent.
Focusing more specifically on Gostisbehere, his presence has had a cartoonishly dramatic effect on Brandon Manning's on-ice goal numbers.
Manning's Corsi numbers with Gostisbehere, however, aren't as impressive. This suggests that type of goals performance with Manning is not sustainable.
Those numbers reflect quite well on Gostisbehere, but other numbers imply it is Manning holding him back. Gostisbehere has played some hockey with Evgeny Medvedev and Luke Schenn, but those samples are pretty small. It is more valuable to consider his numbers simply when he isn't on the ice with Manning. On this count, Gostisbehere's numbers are incredible.
Furthermore, you can't talk about Gostisbehere without talking about the power play. The Flyers are used to having a top notch power-play quarterback in Mark Streit and Kimmo Timonen for several years before him. The team has not missed a beat with a rookie power-play quarterback, and is seeing a considerable boost in their scoring rate.
All these impressive charts don't even consider Gostibehere in overtime, where he has been excellent with three game-winning goals. His current stat line reads six goals, eight assists and plus-5 in 18 games. That is nearly a point a game for a rookie defensmen, and the best plus/minus on the team.
Gostisbehere has simply been an ideal shot in the arm for the Philadelphia Flyers. Some of his current stats may benefit from the good timing of joining the team at just the right time, and they may not be sustainable at their current level, but he has plenty of room to spare. He is earning strong Calder consideration, crashing the party of Artemi Panarin and the now-injured Connor McDavid. His stats are great by themselves, and it is hard to imagine any rookie making more of a difference for his team.
Marc Naples is a contributor to Flyerdelphia and Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @SuperScrub47.
