Not sure how many times this needs to be stated but there was no consensus on who to pick among Flyers scouts. If there was a defenseman whom more scouts wanted to pick, it was Heiskanen. Not Makar. Get your facts straight.
- MJL

Clarke can't even get the draft order straight, but we're supposed to believe the talking catching mitt as he conveniently blames the team's woes on the previous GM, and not the current GM who Clarke has mentored since the 90s.

"None of our scouts wanted Nolan Patrick. I don’t know where Patrick should have gone, after his performances in Brandon – he’s a pretty good player. But certainly, they wanted Makar. Of course, he went next.

If you believe not a single scout on the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to draft the 6'2", 199 pound center who was the consensus #2 prospect in 2017, then you'll believe anything.

Hextall failed, he sucked.
- ClaudeFather

Proving my point. Thanks.

Clarke can't even get the draft order straight, but we're supposed to believe the talking catching mitt as he conveniently blames the team's woes on the previous GM, and not the current GM who Clarke has mentored since the 90s.



If you believe not a single scout on the Philadelphia Flyers wanted to draft the 6'2", 199 pound center who was the consensus #2 prospect in 2017, then you'll believe anything.
- Feanor

When Fletcher is gone. They then interview Clarke and ask him about Chuck, what do you think he will say. My guess calls him a failure as well whether it is directly or indirectly. Nothing to gain by speaking badly while he is still the President/GM.

Amazes me how upset peeps get because he was asked a question at the end of an interview. Gave his answer. What a mean person that Bob Clarke.

Proving my point. Thanks.

- MJL

Wipe your chin. Did you make it to Pitt for fathers day?

Proving my point. Thanks.

- MJL

Hextall defenders have this delusional thought process that if you didn’t like Hextall you like Fletcher. Fletcher is worse but Hextall isn’t anything to talk about. Guy mustered up middling talent at best with all those draft picks and the team was stuck in purgatory throughout and after his plan. If you think that’s a successful GM, then you my friend are a fool.

The Flyers did not have the 12th and 14th pick in the draft. They had one pick. They could only pick one player. They passed on him once. York is physically challenged? He is a physical horse and a workout demon who is in top physical condition.
- MJL

As usual you try to dispute everything that people say on here. Well, if York is a workout demon perhaps he needs a new workout routine cause he certainly seems to get pushed off the puck rather easily, and he has already had injury issues at both the AHL and NHL levels. Thanks!

I guess we look at things differently which isn't all that rare. They could have picked him at 12 and 14, and they passed twice. Guess it's a matter of semantics. I have serious concerns about York. He plays a nice game, but he seems physically challenged and has already had injury issues. Let's just say if we had to do it over I'd still take Caufield(I actually threw my sneaker at the TV when they didn't take Caufield).
- Phillywhiteout

They had one 1st rd pick. They had 2 opportunities to draft him in the 1st rd. Both are true.

Though Cliff is always 100% correct.

Hextall defenders have this delusional thought process that if you didn’t like Hextall you like Fletcher. Fletcher is worse but Hextall isn’t anything to talk about. Guy mustered up middling talent at best with all those draft picks and the team was stuck in purgatory throughout and after his plan. If you think that’s a successful GM, then you my friend are a fool.
- ClaudeFather

Hexy was asleep at the switch. He really did nothing special in his tenure as GM here. He fixed Homer's cap issues, but that's about it. He was caught between a total rebuild and trying to keep the NHL team competitive and we ended up in never never land.

Hexy was asleep at the switch. He really did nothing special in his tenure as GM here. He fixed Homer's cap issues, but that's about it. He was caught between a total rebuild and trying to keep the NHL team competitive and we ended up in never never land.
- Phillywhiteout

Exactly.

Exactly.
- ClaudeFather

But he was fired and didn't get a chance to see his plan through........

Hextall failed…along with every GM before him…

Wipe your chin. Did you make it to Pitt for fathers day?
- hello it's me 2050

lol

When Fletcher is gone. They then interview Clarke and ask him about Chuck, what do you think he will say. My guess calls him a failure as well whether it is directly or indirectly. Nothing to gain by speaking badly while he is still the President/GM.
- hello it's me 2050

No he won't. Fletcher is Bobby's boy.

https://thehockeywriters....ntroversy-flyers-failure/

Elliotte Friedman dove deeper into the motivation and timing behind Clarke’s comments. On the Jeff Marek Show, he pointed to a moment of discontent during the 2006 NHL Entry Draft when Hextall was with the Los Angeles Kings front office. Clarke, the Philadelphia GM at the time, felt the former Flyers netminder had swindled him and sabotaged his draft strategy.

Friedman explained the public criticism as a way for Clarke to protect Fletcher from taking the blame for the current struggles of the franchise.

“If you know anything about Bobby Clarke, if you are his friend, or you’re on his side, he will go to the end of the Earth and back to protect you and fight for you.”

-Elliotte Friedman

There is one thing that is consistent with most Hextall-haters. It is that they are uninformed.
- MJL

Why is it that if anyone points out that Hextall did not do as good of a job as Flyers GM as some like you believe are called Hextall-haters? I for one do not hate Hextall and when he was hired I like most Flyers fans was very excited. Hextall had 5 years before his tenure was ended, and now we can objectively look back and see the fruits of his work, and frankly its not impressive, not in the least! Who knows what Hextall and his scouts draft board looked like in 2017, it doesn't matter. What matters is Hextall got it wrong; he whiffed badly with the 2nd overall pick in the draft and has set this franchise back several years as a result. Again I don't have any personal ill-will for Hextall, these are just the facts! You have no problem killing Fletcher for every thing he does or doesn't do, but it seems when it comes to Hextall you can only defend.

Hextall failed…along with every GM before him…
- SuperSchennBros

I don't know. I actually think Holmgren did pretty well. Yes he never got the ultimate goal but he only missed the playoffs twice from 2007 to 2014.

As usual you try to dispute everything that people say on here. Well, if York is a workout demon perhaps he needs a new workout routine cause he certainly seems to get pushed off the puck rather easily, and he has already had injury issues at both the AHL and NHL levels. Thanks!
- Phillywhiteout

His injury issue in the NHL was getting hit in a bad spot by an Ovie slapshot. No workout routine is going to protect you from that.

https://www.nbcsportsedge...nhl/player/55352/cam-york

No he won't. Fletcher is Bobby's boy.

https://thehockeywriters....ntroversy-flyers-failure/

Elliotte Friedman dove deeper into the motivation and timing behind Clarke’s comments. On the Jeff Marek Show, he pointed to a moment of discontent during the 2006 NHL Entry Draft when Hextall was with the Los Angeles Kings front office. Clarke, the Philadelphia GM at the time, felt the former Flyers netminder had swindled him and sabotaged his draft strategy.

Friedman explained the public criticism as a way for Clarke to protect Fletcher from taking the blame for the current struggles of the franchise.

“If you know anything about Bobby Clarke, if you are his friend, or you’re on his side, he will go to the end of the Earth and back to protect you and fight for you.”

-Elliotte Friedman
- Feanor

You are entitled to your opinion. Mine is he will straight shoot it. Like he always does.

Chuck is the current GM. He won’t bury him now. The comment was made with 90 seconds left of an interview about his career. No agenda. Sorry no smoking gun here.

I don't know. I actually think Holmgren did pretty well. Yes he never got the ultimate goal but he only missed the playoffs twice from 2007 to 2014.
- J35Bacher

In the vacuum of his specific tenure he was fine. However, he left the franchise decimated in terms of cap space and pipeline. If he had won a cup I would be fine with Holmgren. Holmgren and Fletcher are basically the same GM though. Holmgren just had better results.

Hextall defenders have this delusional thought process that if you didn’t like Hextall you like Fletcher. Fletcher is worse but Hextall isn’t anything to talk about. Guy mustered up middling talent at best with all those draft picks and the team was stuck in purgatory throughout and after his plan. If you think that’s a successful GM, then you my friend are a fool.
- ClaudeFather

That is false. I'm a so called Hextall defender and I don't think it means if you didn't like Hextall you like Fletcher. That's an absurd comment that you have no basis to make and a follish comment. The fact is that Hextall added some quality players in Konecny, Sanheim, Provorov, Hart, Lindblom and Farabee. There are some others that could become regular NHL players with Frost still having the potential to be a top 6 regular. The team under Hextall was positioned well for the future with a solid staple of young players. He was not permitted to see it through. That's the reality.

Clarke initially pointed out that scouts wanted Makar who “went next” after Patrick in the 2017 draft. Colorado actually drafted the electrifying defenseman two picks later. The mistake appeared to be a minor slip-up until Friedman brought up that the Flyers scouts actually had their eyes on eventual third-overall pick Miro Heiskanen. The benefit of hindsight with Makar (or Heiskanen) also ignores that the overwhelming majority of experts considered Patrick and first-overall pick Nico Hischier the two top prospects of the draft.

Exactly.
- ClaudeFather

The biggest problem with Hextall as I understand it was how badly he treated people. It was a lot more than just shutting out the old guard, it was his completely controlling, and from some perspectives paranoid, way he ran the franchise. He alienated a lot of people and that ultimately is why he was fired. One of old bosses explained to me years ago that you can make mistakes, even multiple mistakes, but if people like you and like working with you, you will always have a job. No GM is perfect, they make decisions every day and some work out and some don't. But when you have a string of mistakes and people don't like you, that usually means dismissal is in your near future.

As usual you try to dispute everything that people say on here. Well, if York is a workout demon perhaps he needs a new workout routine cause he certainly seems to get pushed off the puck rather easily, and he has already had injury issues at both the AHL and NHL levels. Thanks!
- Phillywhiteout

I disagree that York is a player that is pushed off the puck rather easily.

That is false. I'm a so called Hextall defender and I don't think it means if you didn't like Hextall you like Fletcher. That's an absurd comment that you have no basis to make and a follish comment. The fact is that Hextall added some quality players in Konecny, Sanheim, Provorov, Hart, Lindblom and Farabee. There are some others that could become regular NHL players with Frost still having the potential to be a top 6 regular. The team under Hextall was positioned well for the future with a solid staple of young players. He was not permitted to see it through. That's the reality.
- MJL

Well positioned for what? Praying McDavid signs with the Flyers? End of the day he had a bunch of decent not great players. He did nothing.

That is false. I'm a so called Hextall defender and I don't think it means if you didn't like Hextall you like Fletcher. That's an absurd comment that you have no basis to make and a follish comment. The fact is that Hextall added some quality players in Konecny, Sanheim, Provorov, Hart, Lindblom and Farabee. There are some others that could become regular NHL players with Frost still having the potential to be a top 6 regular. The team under Hextall was positioned well for the future with a solid staple of young players. He was not permitted to see it through. That's the reality.
- MJL

Every GM adds quality players. Wow what an accomplishment. His core of added players is bottom of the league core Cliff.

The biggest problem with Hextall as I understand it was how badly he treated people. It was a lot more than just shutting out the old guard, it was his completely controlling, and from some perspectives paranoid, way he ran the franchise. He alienated a lot of people and that ultimately is why he was fired. One of old bosses explained to me years ago that you can make mistakes, even multiple mistakes, but if people like you and like working with you, you will always have a job. No GM is perfect, they make decisions every day and some work out and some don't. But when you have a string of mistakes and people don't like you, that usually means dismissal is in your near future.
- jd250

I don’t give a damn how he treated folks, he just didn’t do anything for the team from a hockey perspective. If you give 20 other GMs all those draft picks they probably have something eerily similar or better than what Hexy did. And that’s a fact.