And the goals at ES aren't on the goalies or the dmen 100% as a good number of them start when the other team breaks out of their d zone.

Clean up the team defense, backchecking and Penalty Kill and the goalies will probably be less of an issue.
- dragonoffrost

Team defense and back checking are much less of an issue than the god awful PK.

Since the start of 17-18, the Flyers have the conceded the 10th fewest GA at 5 on 5, but the 26th fewest goals at 4 on 5.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst4on5

I just hope the work place can become more comfortable for everyone involved and they can move on from the living hell that it was under Hextall. Have they considered bringing in therapists?
- MJL

https://www.goodtherapy.o...y/issues/workplace-issues

If we look at the entire Hak era, the Flyers are still ranked 10th in 5 on 5 GA, and 24th in 4 on 5 GA.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst5on5

I'll dumb this down as much as I can... being 10th out of 30 teams is quite good. Being 24th out of 30 teams is very bad.

Eat a snickers
- bulet13

these are they type of trades fletcher makes. How about a first for hanzal and white?

If we look at the entire Hak era, the Flyers are still ranked 10th in 5 on 5 GA, and 24th in 4 on 5 GA.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst5on5

I'll dumb this down as much as I can... being 10th out of 30 teams is quite good. Being 24th out of 30 teams is very bad.
- Feanor

No doubt the PK is killing them but if they can improve ES from 10 to 5ish that will also help. It will also take off some of the heat from the goalies as too many fans don't realize that all goals aren't on the goalie.

If we look at the entire Hak era, the Flyers are still ranked 10th in 5 on 5 GA, and 24th in 4 on 5 GA.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst5on5

I'll dumb this down as much as I can... being 10th out of 30 teams is quite good. Being 24th out of 30 teams is very bad.
- Feanor

I can't think of any other profession where being that bad for thag long doesnt result in change.

The PK has been an albatross for what feels like years now.

Yeah, I didn't stick around after it started getting stupid. I like the ball-busting here. It kind of reminds me of the lockerroom, but when people take it too seriously and start threatening each other I loose interest. HB is not the place to work out your daddy issues.
- Dkos

Agreed. I'm all for messing around and joking but certain people on here take poop way too seriously.

Agreed. I'm all for messing around and joking but certain people on here take poop way too seriously.
- ajw12

shut the hell up

these are they type of trades fletcher makes. How about a first for hanzal and white?
- corduroy

How about a third for Devan Dubnyk?

shut the hell up
- wcorvette

Oh now you've done it! Them's fightin words!

I'm just going to sit back and reserve judgement until I see what moves Fletcher makes and how the team performs the rest of the season. This team has some significant holes and no GM is going to fill them all over the next 2 months. Nor can any GM make a young player magically more experienced.

What I'm looking for from the new GM is:

Making the entire work environment more comfortable; not just for the front office, but more importantly, for the coaches and players. It seems that there was a lot of tension under Hextall (whether his fault or not doesn't matter, the tension still existed) and pro sports is a high stress field already without adding any extra anxiety into the mix.

Take his time and get a good read on Hakstol and current staff. I think Wilson, if the rumors are true, will be a good addition that can come in and use his knowledge and experience to settle down a very young group of Dmen. There is no rush to make a decision regarding who will be coaching the team in the future. Take your time and get it right.

As he alluded to in the conference call, take his time and see what solutions are in house before making any moves. Can Wilson get the D playing better both at ES and on the PK? Can Stolarz continue to play solid in net? Can you get through the season with a combo of Stolarz, Elliott and Neuvirth? If so, than you don't have to give up an asset to acquire a goalie. Same with the D. If Provy starts playing like Provy and Wilson gets everyone else playing to their capabilities, then you probably don't need to overpay to acquire a Dman. Perhaps the only addition needed to the roster is just one more solid center? A veteran PKer? Time will tell.

Looking forward to his assessment of the current core. Should someone be moved to shake things up? Is there a reasonable deal that can be worked out to keep Simmonds a Flyers, or do you move him? I think the next couple of months and the upcoming off season will be interesting to say the least. Can the team make the playoffs in 2019? Maybe, but it won't be easy, they have a lot of hard work to do if they want to make it happen.

Either way, Chuck Fletcher deserves a chance to make this team better. Ripping him now is just being petulant and childish. He's a smart guy and while he made some mistakes in Minnesota (as all GMs do), he also made some smart moves and you hope he learns from his mistakes. At the end of the day, we all want the Flyers to succeed and bring the Cup back to Philly. I'm going to give Fletcher a fair shake and see if he can get the job done.
- BiggE

I could be way off base but I feel like there was a high stress feel for the players if anything. The stupid note on the locker room saying it doesn’t matter who you are, blah blah blah. Hakstol always seemed safe. No Idea why but Hakstol seemed to have the rope nobody else did.

Team defense and back checking are much less of an issue than the god awful PK.

Since the start of 17-18, the Flyers have the conceded the 10th fewest GA at 5 on 5, but the 26th fewest goals at 4 on 5.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst4on5
- Feanor

The back checking issue is just a myth Flyers Buzz likes to create when once every 4 games Jake turns a puck over and there is an odd man rush.

If we look at the entire Hak era, the Flyers are still ranked 10th in 5 on 5 GA, and 24th in 4 on 5 GA.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst5on5

I'll dumb this down as much as I can... being 10th out of 30 teams is quite good. Being 24th out of 30 teams is very bad.
- Feanor

You're right. Nobody else realizes that they haven't been good on the PK.

If Hextall had realized it enough to make changes, he might not be at the Unemployment Office today filling in paperwork.

The back checking issue is just a myth Flyers Buzz likes to create when once every 4 games Jake turns a puck over and there is an odd man rush.
- ClaudeFather

I can't think of any other profession where being that bad for thag long doesnt result in change.

The PK has been an albatross for what feels like years now.
- opeth_pa

Changing the coach isn't the only way to change.

Team defense and back checking are much less of an issue than the god awful PK.

Since the start of 17-18, the Flyers have the conceded the 10th fewest GA at 5 on 5, but the 26th fewest goals at 4 on 5.

http://www.nhl.com/stats/...e,1&sort=goalsAgainst4on5
- Feanor

The PK is hideous and it wasn't much better last year. Hextall did nothing to address this in the offseason. It doesn't matter if he tried, what matters is what he accomplished. When it comes to upgrading/fixing the PK, Hextall accomplished squat. Is it mainly on the players? Of course, but a new voice calling the shots wouldn't hurt too. Either way, it needed to be addressed this past summer. It wasn't.

You're right. Nobody else realizes that they haven't been good on the PK.
- MJL

Glad he dumbed it down for us

I await his personal attack as if he didn’t set himself up.

The back checking issue is just a myth Flyers Buzz likes to create when once every 4 games Jake turns a puck over and there is an odd man rush.
- ClaudeFather

I hope Fletcher’s first move is a Simmonds trade
- arichardson22

That's a tough situation. He's bound to piss off half the fanbase one way or another with that.

I say move him. They shouldn't be coming anywhere close the contract Simmonds is rumored to be seeking.

I could be way off base but I feel like there was a high stress feel for the players if anything. The stupid note on the locker room saying it doesn’t matter who you are, blah blah blah. Hakstol always seemed safe. No Idea why but Hakstol seemed to have the rope nobody else did.
- SuperSchennBros

He had the rope because the guy who hired him wasn't going to change it. Also it has to be weird, I now it's been a couple years now, but not being able to pick your own staff.

i am curious if Hakstol wanted to make some changes on his staff and wasn't afforded that. From all the reports it seemed hextall was micro managing things. And i know Murphy was let go so the possibly could have moved on from Lapparriere but maybe they didn't want to turn over the whole staff right away.

Changing the coach isn't the only way to change.
- MJL

They have already changed the personnel, but it turns out it doesn't really matter who you have standing around in a passive box letting the other team do whatever the hell they want.

How about a third for Devan Dubnyk?
- ajw12

"It was an act of desperation"

Cliff Fletcher on trading for Dubnyk

Dubnyk was a mess at the time of the trade. The Wild were in desperate need of a goalie, and a third was an over payment based on Dubnyk's past history. The wild used Bryz for 12 games that season

revisionist history

https://www.sportsnet.ca/...ion-minnesota-wild-trade/

That's a tough situation. He's bound to piss off half the fanbase one way or another with that.

I say move him. They shouldn't be coming anywhere close the contract Simmonds is rumored to be seeking.
- hereticpride

I won't like a Simmonds trade, for sentimental reasons, but I feel like it's the right thing to do.

I won't like a Simmonds trade, for sentimental reasons, but I feel like it's the right thing to do.
- johndewar

I agree with this.

They have already changed the personnel, but it turns out it doesn't really matter who you have standing around in a passive box letting the other team do whatever the hell they want.
- Feanor

Hextall was gonna roll this guy out as his new PK specialist, but alas....