Shayne Gostisbehere, one of the Philadelphia Flyers' top defensive prospects, was slated to spend this season in the American Hockey League, honing his game while gobbling up huge minutes in an effort to expedite his hopeful/expected ascension to the NHL next year.
Now, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall is going to have to scrap that plan and come up with a new one, as it was announced by the club via CSN Philly's Tim Pannacio Saturday that the 21-year-old Gostisbehere tore the ACL in his left knee during Friday's Lehigh Valley Phantoms game against Manchester.
He's expected to miss several months rehabbing after team orthopedist Peter DeLuca performs reconstructive surgery on Gostisbehere Thursday at Jefferson University Hospital.
"We wanted him to play in the minors and this doesn't help the cause, but it's the hand he is dealt and he will deal with it," said Hextall. "He's a good kid, he works hard and he'll get back as quick as possible and build on what he's done so far. Every experience you go through makes you stronger.
"Shayne is going to have to take this positive, work hard and get himself back to where he was. There are still things he can do now. He can still watch defensemen. He can study the game."
The Flyers already poor defensive depth continues to be tested - veterans Kimmo Timonen, Braydon Coburn and Andrew MacDonald have all missed time already this season.
Gostisbehere and the Flyers other top defensive prospect, Samuel Morin, are now both injured. Morin fractured his jaw earlier this month, and will miss significant time as well, according to NJ.com.
Hextall is doing his best to remain upbeat despite the rash of injuries and loss of growth opportunities for his youngsters.
"It's been non-stop," said Hextall. "What are we going to do? Deal with it. No one is going to feel sorry for us. We had eight defensemen last season and now it's been bang, bang, bang.
"We're going to miss him there as a team and he's going to miss some critical development time. We'll make a positive out of a tough situation ... he can still learn. It's not a total lost cause."
