NHL News: Flyers place Gostisbehere on waivers; Ekblad reaches out to fans; and Marleau moves up record books
Anthony Scultore
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The frustration with Shayne Gostisbehere’s defensive issues have reached a critical point. Today’s the Flyers have placed him on waivers. Will anyone put in a claim for him?
Flyers place Shayne Gostisbehere on waivers
The 27 year-old defenseman has two years left on a deal with a cap hit of $4.5 million. This once highly touted offensive rearguard scored 65 points in 78 games for the Flyers in 2017-18. However, his defensive issues have greatly overshadowed anything he brings to the table offensively. In 365 career games, Gostisbehere is a -30.
“We are letting guys just [expletive] absolutely beat us up in front of the net,” Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostibehere said after the Rangers destroyed them 8-3 at home. “It makes our goaltenders look like absolute [expletive]. It’s not fair.”
The NHL is in a flat cap era so there’s a good chance Gostibehere goes unclaimed. The Flyers were also aggressively shopping him and found no takers.
Aaron Ekblad sends message to friends and fans
Aaron Ekblad will be out for the remainder of the season. In Dallas, he suffered a serious leg fracture that requires surgery and will shelve him for 12 weeks. The hockey world sent message of sympathy and well wishes. The 25 year-old noticed and replied to everyone.
Patrick Marleau passes Mark Messier
Patrick Marleau has played in this league a long time. He now holds sole possession of 2nd for most games played in NHL history surpassing Mark Messier. Marleau is only 11 games away from breaking the all-time record held by Gordie Howe.
Congrats!