NHL free agency: Ranking the best defenseman options

Top NHL UFA defenseman options: 4. Shayne Gostisbehere

Age: 30
2022-23 team: Arizona Coyotes/Carolina Hurricanes

Shayne Gostisbehere is an offensive defenseman who eats a lot of minutes. Gostisbehere was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2012 and signed with them in 2014. He signed a six-year $27 million contract extension in 2017. Gotisbehere was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in 2021 and then traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2023 at the trade deadline.

Gostisbehere skates well and moves the puck. He takes away his opponents’ space, but due to his smaller size, he sometimes struggles when defending against bigger opponents. His team can rely on him to transition the puck from the defensive zone to the offensive zone. Gostisbehere is a smart multi-dimensional player who moves well on both sides of the ice. He is known to stay out of the penalty box. Gostisbehere is impactful on the power play.

During the 2022-23 regular season, Gostisbehere blocked 89 shots. He scored 14 goals in 2021-22 and 13 goals in 2022-23. He had 15 power-play points during the season. Gostisbehere’s +/- is usually a negative number, as it was this year at -5. It’s hard to change teams mid-season, so Gostisbehere had a tall order coming into his time with the Canes. Gostisbehere and the Canes went deep into the playoffs but were eliminated by the red-hot Florida Panthers.

While he was only in Carolina for a short time, Gostisbehere recently shared that he became close with his teammates quickly. Still, he was a rental for the Canes, and he didn’t really shine during his short time with the team, so there isn’t necessarily a huge pull to re-sign him. He’s someone who could benefit from the thin defenseman free agent market, as he’s near the top of the class. Gostisbehere should get a desirable contract, although it remains to be seen where he will play.