Only one day after a stunning 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Flyers fans are stunned once again as GM Ron Hextall has called up Tyrell Goulbourne.
Uh what?
Goulbourne was an extremely head scratching selection in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft (maybe even a waste) — In his draft year, Goulbourne had only 27 points in 64 games and 135 penalty minutes. He went on to play two more seasons in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets before joining the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2015. In his first year with the Phantoms, Goulbourne saw early success with a scoring outburst early into the 2015-16 season, scoring 6 goals in 20 games, but that was where the success stopped for Goulbourne, as he only had 1 goal in the final 53. His 2016-17 season did not go smoothly, Goulbourne found himself sent down the the ECHL by midseason playing 36 games with the Reading Royals. This season, Goulbourne has been exclusively with the Phantoms in the bottom six and playing on the penalty kill.
It is puzzling to see Goulbourne recalled over breakouts such as:
- Mike Vecchione, who held his own during the last couple games with the Flyers last year and has excelled in Lehigh Valley
- Oskar Lindblom, who nearly made the big club right out of camp
- Danick Martel, who proved to be more than capable at the NHL level earlier this season
The Flyers penalty kill has been a mess for the better part of three years. This looks like an attempt to try and put some life into the 29th rated PK, but only if attempt means shooting yourself in the foot.
But remember kids, you should believe in yourself!
