Welcome Back, Hexy
The Philadelphia Flyers made a major front office move yesterday, bringing Ron Hextall back from the Los Angeles Kings organization to serve as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations. A member of the Flyers Hall of Fame, the retired goaltender had been in Los Angeles since 2006.
While with the Kings, Hextall was the assistant general manager to Dean Lombardi (himself a former member of the Flyers' scouting staff). When the Kings won their first Stanley Cup in 2012, many Flyers fans were happy to see Hextall get the opportunity to raise the Cup during the on-ice celebration and get his name on the sport's most coveted prize. Apart from his assistant GM duties with the NHL club, which included a key role in coordinating LA's scouting and player development operations, Hextall served as the general manager of the team's top farm club, the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.
Already, there has been much speculation that Hextall will eventually succeed Paul Holmgren as the Flyers' general manager. It is not known to what degree bringing Hextall back to Philadelphia was Holmgren's own initiative and how much of it was driven by Holmgren's bosses, Ed Snider and Peter Luukko.
What can be said for certain is that there is a lot of respect between Holmgren and Hextall, both on professional and personal levels. The two men are cut from the same cloth. Both are extremely intense competitors with dry senses of humor; simultaneously approachable and intimidating. They've worked together before in Philly, both on and off the ice, and had a productive relationship.
Holmgren was Hextall's coach, first as an assistant then as head coach, from the mid-1980s to early 1990s. Later, following Hextall's retirement as an active player following the 1998-99 season, the former goaltender became the Flyers' director of player personnel for seven seasons. Holmgren was Bob Clarke's assistant general manager, performing the same primary duties (overseeing scouting and drafting, and serving as the de facto general manager of the Philadelphia Phantoms) that Hextall would do when he accompanied Lombardi to Los Angeles.
Above all, Hextall and Holmgren are consummate professionals and company men. There is unlikely to be any tension or mistrust between the two men as they work side-by-side.
Likewise, any awkwardness between Hextall and Chris Pryor should fade pretty quickly because of the strength of both men's character. Pryor will perform the same duties as he currently does, although his job title will change slightly from director of hockey operations to director of scouting. Pryor's efforts will be in tandem with Hextall.
Of course, Pryor is no doubt fully aware that the assistant GM/director of hockey operations spot (in which he and Hextall should be fairly equal in the decision-making chain) is just a weigh station for Hextall on the road to becoming Pryor's direct boss and final decision-maker as the Flyers' general manager. Whether that will be one year from now or much further into the future remains to be seen.
Some folks have wondered aloud if the GM changeover and a coaching change could happen sooner rather than later if things go awry early next season. If the Flyers get off to another slow start could be there something similar to the 2006-07 housecleaning that saw Bob Clarke resign as general manager and Ken Hitchcock fired as coach?
There is little doubt that Peter Laviolette is on the hotseat after the Flyers missed the playoffs last year. I think Holmgren's job as general manager is still secure for now. Even if there's another slow start, I think he'd get a full season to turn things around, whereas Laviolette probably needs fast results to keep his job. That said, things have a way of changing in a hurry in hockey.
John Paddock, who served as an assistant coach last season after holding the assistant GM title, will become the organization's player personnel director. Dave Brown will hold the director of pro scouting title.
*********
Lappy the Ironman
Former Flyers forward Ian Laperriere, now the organization's Director of Player Development, will be participating in the Ironman Mont-Tremblant: North American Championship on August 18. Apart from competing in the triatholon, Lappy is raising funds for a variety of charitable causes: the IRONMAN Foundation, Ronald McDonald House, the National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and Go4theGoal Foundation- Tunes4Teens.
Laperriere has set a $10,000 fundraising goal. He is about one-quarter of the way to the goal. For more information or to make a donation,
click here.
***********
Kindle users: Please sign up for Flyers Buzz. For more information
click here.
Click below to follow me on Twitter:
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»