Flyers Notes: Don't expect Shayne Gostisbehere call-up

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Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said Monday that while he might like to see a few more Phantoms in the Flyers' lineup with just eight games to play, there are issues.

“You get four call-ups after the [trade] deadline,” Hextall said. “I think we’ve used two [Brandon Manning and Nick Cousins]. If we need to use a couple, you don’t want to use them up now and not have any. So there’s issues there. 

“There’s also issues where you’re looking and saying, ‘OK, who has earned a call-up over the course of the year’, and I think the two guys who have been up recently have in Brandon Manning and Nick Cousins, who’s up right now. Do I envision that? Probably not at this point for a quick look.”

Also, don’t expect to see Shayne Gostisbehere on the blue line, either, even if he’s given medical clearance to return from his long rehab from left knee surgery (ACL tear) last November.

“Gostisbehere’s got his appointment this Wednesday,” Hextall said. “So we’re going to know for sure if he’s going to play or not.”

Indications are the Flyers would prefer "Ghost" not to return this season and continue his rehab so he is fully healthy with extra rest for training camp.

3-on-3
No surprise that Hextall admitted the Flyers support the proposed rule change to 3-on-3 overtime hockey.

League GMs made their recommendation last week in Florida to the NHL-NHLPA competition committee. From there, the measure goes before the Board of Governors for a final vote.

The format will be devised by the competition committee and could resemble what’s used in the AHL or it could be scaled back. For instance, the AHL has a seven-minute overtime and the players, right now, seem to prefer keeping OT at five minutes.

That said, initial reaction around the NHL from players, including the Flyers, is strong support for 3-on-3 overtime to decide a game without going to shootout.

The Flyers are 3-9 in the shootout this season. Lifetime, they own the worst record in hockey: 30-60.

“I think the one [proposal] that I like is the overtime going to 3-on-3,” Hextall said. “I prefer the American league version 4-on-4 moving to 3-on-3, but I think that’s the big one that I like.”

There is also a proposal to allow teams one challenge a game for goalie interference, but the club would have to have a timeout to use that challenge.

Like the NFL, if the team won its challenge, it would keep its timeout. Lose the challenge, it loses the timeout.

“When you sit in a room and hear the positives and negatives, I think that [goalie interference challenge] could be a positive for our game,” Hextall said. 

“I think there’s about a dozen instances this year where the call would have been overturned to the correct call. So those are the two I liked. I’m not sure there’s anything that I necessarily didn’t like.”

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