getting weaker and weaker. Please continue.
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O'kay I will!

Honest question: How many NHL executives have a college degree? Do all these former players who become VPs and GMs go for an accelerated MBA after their playing days? Or is it a system more solely based on apprenticeship and connections?
- countreeman28

It varies, and every team has its capology/CBA compliance specialist serving the GM. I know that Fletcher is a Harvard grad (but also Cliff Fletcher's son and Bob Clarke's AGM with Florida). Bill Zito, who got a courtesy interview with the Flyers when Chuck was all-but-hired, is a Yale grad turned player agent turned AGM turned GM. As an agent, he first made his name by identifying under-the-radar (late draft or undrafted) players he thought could play in the NHL and pursuing them as clients. Three of his first clients were Tim Thomas, Brian Rafalski and Kimmo Timonen. Also Flyers late-round pick from Yale, undersized D-man Ray Giroux (no relation to Claude), who later spent some time in the NHL.

This is completely revisionist history and hindsight. You act like Hextall should've known how Voracek was going to turn out in the future. I personally believe that Hextall signed JVR to appease upper management.
- MJL

I agree, from what I remember he tried to sign Stastny for the 2C role and move Patrick to 3C.

It varies, and every team has its capology/CBA compliance specialist serving the GM. I know that Fletcher is a Harvard grad (but also Cliff Fletcher's son and Bob Clarke's AGM with Florida). Bill Zito, who got a courtesy interview with the Flyers when Chuck was all-but-hired, is a Yale grad turned player agent turned AGM turned GM. As an agent, he first made his name by identifying under-the-radar (late draft or undrafted) players he thought could play in the NHL and pursuing them as clients. Three of his first clients were Tim Thomas, Brian Rafalski and Kimmo Timonen. Also Flyers late-round pick from Yale, undersized D-man Ray Giroux (no relation to Claude), who later spent some time in the NHL.
- bmeltzer

Awesome, thanks!! I've always wondered about how these positions are filled and trained for. It does seem like a mix.

Good afternoon Bill,

What do you see the Flyers doing for the backup goalie next season? Not that I thought Elliot was going anywhere yesterday but what is the gameplan?

Your insinuation that Hextall wanted to make the safe pick because he didn't want to be criticized is complete nonsense. It's beyond the scale even for you. The rest is again, pure hindsight.
- MJL

Listen at the end of the day, a GM has to be accountable for his decisions. I am sure Hextall had the best of intentions, but even so he made what has turned out to be bad decisions that set this franchise back, not forward. No one is going to be perfect of course, they key is to limit the collateral damage any one bad decision can make. In the cases I have brought up, Hextall deserves criticism because he didn't do the job he was brought here to do. Likewise with Fletcher now. Fletcher was brought in, I think, to accelerate the rebuild and get this team to contender status. This off season is the biggest one of his career IMO. If he makes the right moves that, even if they don't lead to a Cup, lead to the team being a contender for years to come, Fletcher will deserve praise. If he doesn't he has to be accountable to those decisions and will get hammered. All this is hindsight BTW, because its only years after the decisions are made can you see what the results were. Saying you can't use hindsight to hold someone accountable is more than nonsense, since its how our society functions, whether in business, government, or in this case sports teams.

Listen at the end of the day, a GM has to be accountable for his decisions. I am sure Hextall had the best of intentions, but even so he made what has turned out to be bad decisions that set this franchise back, not forward. No one is going to be perfect of course, they key is to limit the collateral damage any one bad decision can make. In the cases I have brought up, Hextall deserves criticism because he didn't do the job he was brought here to do. Likewise with Fletcher now. Fletcher was brought in, I think, to accelerate the rebuild and get this team to contender status. This off season is the biggest one of his career IMO. If he makes the right moves that, even if they don't lead to a Cup, lead to the team being a contender for years to come, Fletcher will deserve praise. If he doesn't he has to be accountable to those decisions and will get hammered. All this is hindsight BTW, because its only years after the decisions are made can you see what the results were. Saying you can't use hindsight to hold someone accountable is more than nonsense, since its how our society functions, whether in business, government, or in this case sports teams.
- jd250

I disagree completely that Hextall didn't do the job he was brought in to do. You have to look at how things were at the time, not in hindsight. The latter is simply not being objective. Picking Patrick was not a bad decision at the time. These things happen. If he had went off the board and made a reach pick and it didn't work out, that's another thing completely. That didn't happen here.
In my opinion, Fletcher is in a tough spot here and management isn't helping. I personally think the biggest reason the team is where it is now is because of management. The worst thing they can do is overreact to this season.

You hold a GM accountable for the results of the overall team. Just like you do in business with a CEO and the overall results of the company. Not for an individual move where the right decision at the time was made.

Spot on!! I love Lloyd Griffith's weekly EPL reviews and his take on the regional dialects. Hearing that coastal Brighton softness in contrast to, say, a surly Tyneside bellow is just phenomenal.
- countreeman28

You lost me at EPL review and never returned me back to anywhere I know.

I have never been to Brighton (however I am a huge fan of Graham Greene) but I know in the British imagination it was synonymous with coastal gaudiness, like the NJ shore is to the East Coast. So I am surprised to hear of its mellifluous sophistication, even in relative terms.

Moving on from your nation's morbid, centuries-old fascination with phonetic navel gazing, you will find yourself right at home in the US today. You guys invented a class system but were brutally honest about its existence, we now practice it zealously while pretending that it doesn't exist. You guys have always had the landed gentry but had to defend it against your gutter-mob tabloids, we here have gone one better and got the masses riled up against the estate tax.

Stroke of genius, what?

Pip pip.

I still don't believe that we are never turning the corner with the younger core of the group. Overall, I think the NHL has moved into bland zone since the cap. I believe Flyers fans loved the passion of the team, identified with it, and now are struggling with caring about the current version that many times plays like it doesn't care. The team and product have become very corporate top to bottom for sure since Ed passed. We don't look for 70's hockey, but I'd like to see some level of pushback and passion that we certainly see with other squads.

If we don't see progress soon, they'll be so down below the other pro teams, they will be fully irrelevant.
- Hextall271

Turning what corner? Towards middle of the road respectability? Sure, we will get there next season.

Turning the corner towards contention? Good luck with that hope.

Bringing back "pushback and passion" is not going to fire up the imagination of kids growing up with MMA and UFC. Only winning will.

Youre as dense as it gets, for (frank)sake
- KINGKENZO

If you think he is dense just for that bit of confusion, you must pay scant attention to this board.

Listen closely next time you hear any NJ resident enunciate a long O (e.g. home, hoagie) and marvel at its bleating untranscribability.
- countreeman28

North Jersey folks pronounce those much differently than South Jersey folks.

You lost me at EPL review and never returned me back to anywhere I know.

I have never been to Brighton (however I am a huge fan of Graham Greene) but I know in the British imagination it was synonymous with coastal gaudiness, like the NJ shore is to the East Coast. So I am surprised to hear of its mellifluous sophistication, even in relative terms.

Moving on from your nation's morbid, centuries-old fascination with phonetic navel gazing, you will find yourself right at home in the US today. You guys invented a class system but were brutally honest about its existence, we now practice it zealously while pretending that it doesn't exist. You guys have always had the landed gentry but had to defend it against your gutter-mob tabloids, we here have gone one better and got the masses riled up against the estate tax.

Stroke of genius, what?

Pip pip.
- PT21

You lost me here!

The Erik Gustafsson signing before the season did not work out at all, and it created a redundancy in the defense corps;

as others have pointed out here, this was obvious at the time of the signing. Another Ghost basically.
- backfire

I know I have said this before, but in context, I could understand the Gus signing. Clearly, it didn’t work for either party so it was a very good deal to get the draft pick and give Gus a chance to revive his career elsewhere. No matter what was said, it never made any good sense to have them both in the lineup at the same time.

Ghost had been terribly inconsistent and if he had not bounced back or if Fletcher had been successful in finding a trade partner, Gus was to be the replacement as a power play specialist on the 3rd pairing. All in all, he finished with 10 points in 24 games with 4 PPP. No training camp and limited practice doesn’t really give new players time to gel either so not great circumstances. In hindsight, Ghost wasn’t traded and there were no takers on the market even during his late season waiver. Ghost has also bounced back sufficiently.

I disagree completely that Hextall didn't do the job he was brought in to do. You have to look at how things were at the time, not in hindsight. The latter is simply not being objective. Picking Patrick was not a bad decision at the time. These things happen. If he had went off the board and made a reach pick and it didn't work out, that's another thing completely. That didn't happen here.
In my opinion, Fletcher is in a tough spot here and management isn't helping. I personally think the biggest reason the team is where it is now is because of management. The worst thing they can do is overreact to this season.

You hold a GM accountable for the results of the overall team. Just like you do in business with a CEO and the overall results of the company. Not for an individual move where the right decision at the time was made.
- MJL

When you say Management isn't helping, what do you mean and who are you referring to? I have heard nothing from Paul Holmgren, have you? We have seen David Scott only once and he said "he wants GM Chuck Fletcher to be aggressive in the trade market if the right player is available." What is wrong with this statement? Isn't that what we all want Fletcher to do?

Fletcher stood pat at the trade deadline which is exactly what you were hoping he would do. Fletcher didn't trade Laughton, but instead resigned for another 5 years which is exactly what you were hoping also. So how is management not helping? Where is the overreaction to this season by Fletcher or management? We agree Fletcher is in a tough spot, we just don't seem to agree on how Fletcher got there.

North Jersey folks pronounce those much differently than South Jersey folks.
- Scoob

It's NY and Philly variations of the same sound; like the contrast of Gala and Honeycrisp apples!

When you say Management isn't helping, what do you mean and who are you referring to? I have heard nothing from Paul Holmgren, have you? We have seen David Scott only once and he said "he wants GM Chuck Fletcher to be aggressive in the trade market if the right player is available." What is wrong with this statement? Isn't that what we all want Fletcher to do?

Fletcher stood pat at the trade deadline which is exactly what you were hoping he would do. Fletcher didn't trade Laughton, but instead resigned for another 5 years which is exactly what you were hoping also. So how is management not helping? Where is the overreaction to this season by Fletcher or management? We agree Fletcher is in a tough spot, we just don't seem to agree on how Fletcher got there.
- jd250

There’s no proof what so ever that management is interfering.....just like there’s no proof management pressured Hextall to sign JVR....or draft Patrick over Makar....I guess if the results aren’t very good and your a supporter of that person you look to place blame elsewhere even if you have to make poop up. Hextall was fired for more then one reason. Fletcher has not had a very good year, but to suggest others are responsible for his decisions this year is simply a statement with absolutely no proof. I guess if the new boogey man is Dave Scott just because he’s in charge and desperately wants the Flyers to be successful (like anyone in the business world) then so be it....

Just watched the Red Wings / Cane game from last night. Got to say a little bit jealous of their young players. Yeah they suck now, but looks very promising, especially if they can grab one of the big defensemen or maybe Wallstedt.


Pretty nice 25 and Under list:

Jakub Vrána (LW)
Dylan Larkin (C)
Adam Erne (W)
Filip Zadina (W)
Michael Rasmussen (C/W)
Evgeny Svechnikov (LW)
Joe Veleno (C)
Dominic Turgeon (C)
Jonatan Berggren (C/W)
Lucas Raymond (RW)

Filip Hronek (RD)
Dennis Cholowski (LD)
Gustav Lindström (RD)
Moritz Seider (RD)
William Wallinder (LD)

Victor Brattström (G)

Being unexpectedly a non-playoff team this year, I didn’t realize until now that being a spoiler isn’t quite as exciting this season with the current format.

Looking at the schedule, our best spoiler potential is those 2 games against the Rangers next week. I can hope that they pull off a really big win streak and remain competitive. However in lieu of that, I would enjoy wins in those 3 games versus the Penguins because beating them anytime is...joy.

There’s no proof what so ever that management is interfering.....just like there’s no proof management pressured Hextall to sign JVR....or draft Patrick over Makar....I guess if the results aren’t very good and your a supporter of that person you look to place blame elsewhere even if you have to make poop up. Hextall was fired for more then one reason. Fletcher has not had a very good year, but to suggest others are responsible for his decisions this year is simply a statement with absolutely no proof. I guess if the new boogey man is Dave Scott just because he’s in charge and desperately wants the Flyers to be successful (like anyone in the business world) then so be it....
- landros 2

This, I will listen when I see actual evidence. I don’t have any reason to dislike Scott.

I know I have said this before, but in context, I could understand the Gus signing. Clearly, it didn’t work for either party so it was a very good deal to get the draft pick and give Gus a chance to revive his career elsewhere. No matter what was said, it never made any good sense to have them both in the lineup at the same time.

Ghost had been terribly inconsistent and if he had not bounced back or if Fletcher had been successful in finding a trade partner, Gus was to be the replacement as a power play specialist on the 3rd pairing. All in all, he finished with 10 points in 24 games with 4 PPP. No training camp and limited practice doesn’t really give new players time to gel either so not great circumstances. In hindsight, Ghost wasn’t traded and there were no takers on the market even during his late season waiver. Ghost has also bounced back sufficiently.
- NC Flyers Fan

Makes sense. Also not many want ghost at his cap hit for what he has been bringing. And would not want to eat salary for another two years. Can just hope Seattle needs that pp quarterback.

Being unexpectedly a non-playoff team this year, I didn’t realize until now that being a spoiler isn’t quite as exciting this season with the current format.

Looking at the schedule, our best spoiler potential is those 2 games against the Rangers next week. I can hope that they pull off a really big win streak and remain competitive. However in lieu of that, I would enjoy wins in those 3 games versus the Penguins because beating them anytime is...joy.
- NC Flyers Fan

Lol. The spoiling I would prefer would e been keep Boston out. But.......

Lol. The spoiling I would prefer would e been keep Boston out. But.......
- Peter Richards

Imagine if the Flyers lost all 5 remaining games to the Devils....that's a 20 point swing.

Lol. The spoiling I would prefer would e been keep Boston out. But.......
- Peter Richards

I can’t decide whether or not to be grateful that we don’t play them again on this regular season schedule.

I think it was smart to get something for these UFAs. Eating salary to get picks is just fine to make the deal work. It doesn't impact us going forward.
- Hextall271

Get out of here with your context.

Get out of here with your context.

- MBFlyerfan

For sure.