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Shayne Gostisbehere, Carolina Hurricanes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Hurricanes’ Shayne Gostisbehere Showing Why He Deserved a 3-Year Deal

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Dec 31, 2024 1:25 PM ET

What a 2024-25 season it has been so far for the 31-year-old Florida native Shayne Gostisbehere. The Carolina Hurricanes brought him back for a second stint for the franchise after trading him during the 2023 Trade Deadline. This time, however, they signed him to a three-year, $9.6 million deal with an annual average value (AAV) of $3.2 million. In 35 games back with the Hurricanes in season one, he has shown why the team signed him to the contract that keeps him with the Hurricanes through the 2026-27 season.

Stats Don’t Lie for Ghostisbehere

When the Hurricanes signed Gostisbehere, or “Ghost” as teammates and fans call him, general manager Eric Tulsky stated, “We’re thrilled to bring Shayne back to Raleigh. He’s an elite passer and power-play specialist, and we think his familiarity with our organization will make him an excellent fit for us.”

He has been an excellent fit in the first 35 games. His first stint saw him record 10 points in 23 regular season games; this season, he has 27 points, with 21 of them being assists. Gostisbehere leads all defensemen on the Hurricanes in goals (six), assists (21), and points (27). Furthermore, he is second in power-play points (18) only one behind Martin Necas. In terms of all the NHL, Gostisbehere is only one power-play point behind the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar.

The current record for most points in a season by a defenseman for the Hurricanes is 61, set by Brent Burns in 2021-22. Gostisbehere was on pace to beat it with 63. However, he suffered an upper-body injury during the Dec. 28 game against the New Jersey Devils and is currently listed as day-to-day, as per head coach Rod Brind’amour.

Gostisbehere’s impressive numbers have him third on the team in points only behind Sebastian Aho (38) and Necas (44). He has more than proven why the Hurricanes wanted to bring him back to a team-friendly deal for the next three seasons. People were sad to see Brady Skjei ($7 million AAV) and Brett Pesce ($5.5 million AAV) leave but the team was not willing to pay that much money while having to figure out other contracts as well i.e. Seth Jarvis and Jaccob Slavin. By bringing in Gostisbehere, they were got a top-unit power-play quarterback to replace Skjei for an AAV that gives the team flexibility and bang for their buck.

Gostisbehere, while being known for being an offensively-focused defenseman, has shown glimpses of fitting into the Hurricanes defensive structure under assistant coach Tim Gleason. The defense is structured to contribute in the transition from the defensive zone to the offensive side of the ice with quick plays. They are to push the offense from the defense and put pucks on the net. They are to be aggressive and put pressure on the forecheck. Also, speed is key and Gostisbehere has underrated wheels that can push the play into the offensive zone, especially on the power play. His position on the top power play allows him to showcase his skillset for the special teams, for Brind’amour, and his staff.

While the injury timetable is unknown, hopefully, Gostisbehere will not be out for a long while. He is a huge component of the Hurricanes and is someone they will need back sooner rather than later, fully healthy of course. Ty Smith is taking over for him and was solid in his first game as his replacement. It will be interesting to see how he does for a few games with Gostisbehere out. Either way, we hope for Gostisbehere’s safe and speedy recovery.

Final Gameday in 2024

The Hurricanes’ last game in 2024 will be on New Year’s Eve in Columbus against the Blue Jackets. Due to the Winter Classic and the NHL wanting to spread out games around it, the puck drop is scheduled for 8 p.m. Eastern. For the seventh time in the last eight games to close out 2024, it is another Metropolitan Division showdown for the Hurricanes.