Organizational Analysis: The Philadelphia Flyers

It was November 2018. The Philadelphia Flyers parted ways with team legend, Ron Hextall. His main problem? Sitting on his hands, being *too* patient. It can be tough to see how an abundance of patience is a weakness, but that was an easy task for the Flyers' front office. They wanted a man of action; they wanted a man to get the organization moving!

Well, the Flyers have certainly been moving lately...just not anywhere one could describe as "positively." The Flyers have been one of the worst teams in the NHL recently, but who's responsible? Well, it is probably the same guy who was in charge of the Minnesota Wild during their spell as "most boring club in the NHL." You guessed it, Chuck Fletcher.

During Fletcher's time as Flyers GM, he has made an abundance of unforced errors, lopsided trades (on the losing side), & bad organizational decisions that ultimately led to the departure of long-time star, captain, & fan favorite Claude Giroux. Just how bad has he performed?

Here's just some of the players/draft picks he traded away:
Cam Talbot
Ryan Hartman
Radko Gudas
Nic Aube-Kubel
Nolan Patrick
Robert Hagg
Anthony Stolarz
2021 1st Rd Pick (#14)
2022 2nd Rd Pick

And what came in return:
Matt Niskanen (retired)
Tyler Pitlick (in MTL)
Rasmus Ristonlainen (ext. 5y/$25.5M)

Yikes. Now this list is far from fully descriptive, but it ought to be enough to paint a clear picture: Fletcher is a huge part of why the Flyers stink right now. Ever wonder why Claude Giroux stated he'd only authorize a trade to one team? Simple really. Take the GMs leverage, force him to make a bad trade, ultimately ending in the GM being canned.

Now, I don't know for a fact that this was Giroux's line of thinking. But it is almost certainly what will follow.

The future is dim in Philly; what should the Flyers do?

MUST READ

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Vancouver Canucks' Contract Offer to Brock Boeser Leaks Publicly

Feb 28  |  By Tom Banks Montreal Canadiens Star Undergoes Season-Ending Knee Surgery

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Philadelphia Flyers Officially Looking to Trade Former 39-Goal Scorer

Feb 28  |  By Daniel Lucente Evander Kane May Be in His Final Days in Edmonton After Friedman Reveals New Information

Feb 28  |  By Mike Whitaker Maple Leafs Forward Pulls Back Trade Request

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker Brad Marchand Goes Viral for Passionate Video Ahead of Four Nations Faceoff Final

Feb 27  |  By Mike Whitaker David Pastrnak's Latest Comments Suggest Bruins Will Be Big Sellers at the Deadline

Feb 27  |  By Julien Trekker 6-Foot-6 Winger Linked to the New York Rangers at the Trade Deadline

MORE STORIES