Marcus Hayes: Giroux, Gostisbehere might benefit from missing World Cup
Once again, the Flyers have to deal with being snubbed for international competition.
It might hurt their pride, but it might be to their benefit to miss the World Cup of Hockey.
Claude Giroux, who leads the NHL in points over the last five seasons, was left off Team Canada.
Shayne Gostisbehere, the league's most exciting rookie defenseman and the Flyers' savior this season, was left off Team North America, which features the continent's best 23-and-under players while the rest play under their country's flag.
The squads named their first 16 players Wednesday. They will name the remaining seven on June 1.
Certainly, both Giroux and Gostisbehere would benefit from being named. It would help ease Giroux's pain from being left off the Team Canada at the 2014 Olympics. Elite international competition would deliver Gostisbehere immeasurable benefits, from team-building to skill-sharpening to role-playing.
On the other hand, both might benefit from not playing, as well. A run to the title game would involve as many as seven games in two weeks. It also would mean reaching game shape at least two weeks earlier than usual.
Seven extra games might not sound like much, but it is an 8 percent increase over an 82-game season. Giroux's minutes have crept up in the past 19 games. Ghost is a rookie. Both are small. They're pushing for the playoffs (which might seem quixotic, since they seem unlikely to advance) and that sort of push is exhausting … especially if it is successful.
Again, this conversation is moot if they make the teams in June. The argument that the benefit of making the teams far outweighs any cost, physical or mental, has merit. So does the contention that these sorts of extracurricular games overtax players.
A study published by University of Massachusetts professor Neil Longley in 2012 showed that teams that the more players teams sent to the three previous Olympic games, the less those teams scored and the less those teams won. Results after the 2014 games confirmed the previous findings, Langley told The New York Times. The "Olympic Hangover" is very real.
Of course, the Olympics interrupt the NHL season, so any ill effects might be different from ill effects from World Cup participation. No such study has been conducted for the World Cup. Perhaps there is no "World Cup" hangover.
The Flyers will be represented. Center Sean Couturier made Team North America. Team Czech Republic picked defenseman Radko Gudas, goalie Michael Neuvirth and right wing Jacob Voracek. Defenseman Mark Streit of Switzerland was named to Team Europe, which included players from European countries other than Sweden, the Czech Republic, Russia and Finland.