The 31-year-old blueliner signed a three-year deal with Carolina.
The Carolina Hurricanes brought back defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere in free agency in hopes of replacing some of Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei.
Gostisbehere, 31, is a good skating defenseman who is at his best in the offensive zone.
Last season in Detroit, Gostisbehere had 10 goals and 56 points.
Now back in Carolina for the first time since the 2023 playoff run, Gostisbehere had the opportunity to speak with the media. Here's what he had to say:
On returning to Carolina: It's good to be back. Carolina was very interested from the start. Once things sort of fell through with Detroit, I think they caught wind of it and they made me feel very welcomed in the sense that they wanted me. Obviously a littler familiarity with the organization and just an elite team in the sense that they're always making the playoffs every year. At this point in my career, I'm getting a little older and I want to be in the playoffs as much as I can and you want to take any chance you get to win. It's helped a lot in the sense that obviously the team is so good and I have a little familiarity with it having been with them for two months, two years ago. Just definitely really excited to be back.
On the most appealing part of returning: When I was traded at the deadline [to Carolina], just the way the team took in my wife and I. I told my wife how they just made us feel like we had been on the team the whole season. That was definitely a smooth transition for that and just the community itself. It's a very fun community and just a great place to live and raise a family and whatnot. So I think for my wife and I, it was a pretty easy decision going back. Then you add obviously the hockey side with Roddy and him gearing up for five more years and just how much I liked him as a coach and how much he liked me as a player. I feel like it was an easy decision.
On the opportunity for minutes with the loss of Brady Skjei and Brett Pesce: Any chance you can get to get more opportunity is obviously a blessing. I loved playing with Skjeisy and Pesce. They played big roles on this team and obviously with them being gone, there's more opportunity available. Any chance you get to play more minutes is huge, but again, I'm just here to try and help the team anyway I can. I mean, I have a particular set of skills in the sense that I'm an offensive guy and I like to run the power play and whatnot, but I'm just going to do anything I can to help.
On dealing with Eric Tulsky: Tulsky did a good job in the sense of selling us on Carolina, but there's really not much to sell. I knew the organization and whatnot, but just the opportunity available with some guys leaving and whatnot. ... They were the first team to technically offer me and the first team that showed a point of interest. My agent and I have obviously dealt with Don before, but Tulsky did a great job in the sense that he didn't really have to have a hard sell. I knew everything about the organization already and I think just the opportunity available was a big point for my family and I. Also, it's just a great organization. Just the team atmosphere. Everyone's all on the same page and there's a specific system you need to play. It's something I gravitate towards.
On who he reached out to first from the team: My first text was definitely to [Jordan Martinook]. I said, 'I'm back,' and he was pretty pumped. I think he answered in like two seconds. So just happy to be back. Like I said, there's a comfortability level being back in an organization you've been in before. So definitely excited.
On what he particularly likes about playing in Carolina's system: I would just say that it's a system that is cut and dry. It's a man-on-man heavy system and your attention to detail is staying with your guy and just being there. There's a lot of skating involved too. I like to skate so it helps me a lot. Maybe what will be a little different than my first tenure with Carolina is that I was just trying to jump aboard, fit in and just play my role there. Obviously last season I had a great offensively and I think I want to bring a little more offense this time around in Carolina. Just add something from the backend that maybe we haven't had before.
On if he feels his prior experience with the Canes will help him fully acclimate to the system faster: I definitely had a nice sample size in the sense that I was obviously here for 20 games and then a whole playoff run. It was great to be in that system. It's actually a pretty easy system to get used to. I mean, if you can skate, you can play in the system. So I think for me as a player, there might be a little bit of an adjustment because I'm so used to playing in another system last season. but I think once I get out there and start playing again, it will come back to me pretty easily.
