Jay Greenberg: The Real Reason the Flyers Fired Ron Hextall

wow Interesting stuff here.

Jay Greenberg: The Real Reason the Flyers Fired Ron Hextall
- Jay Greenberg

Great insight, Jay.

Thanks Jay! I’ve been scratching my head over this all day, and I’m worried about the direction and moves the next GM may take. I watched as a kid, Clarke winking with the cup, and getting so close over the years, but never capturing it again. Here’s hoping that this isn’t the corporate make the playoffs, win a round or two, make us money, but never having a legitimate chance to win it all mentality! I want the cup, not fringe contention!!

Interesting. Sounds like Hextall is a great hockey man but not so much on the business side. No doubt he'll get a chance to fix that very soon.

Fantastic read. Thank you

Jay Greenberg: The Real Reason the Flyers Fired Ron Hextall
- Jay Greenberg

Excellent journalism and very well written!

Great insight to a crazy day.

What is the thoughts on keeping Hakstol with the new GM?

Id have to hang myself.

Loyal soldiers have lost their jobs or been forced to take pay cuts. Access to the GM-and by alums to the current players–was limited and so was input from an inner Hextall circle that got smaller as these four-plus years have gone by. The Flyers, once known as one of the best places in the league to work, had become one of the worst.

But Lappy still has a job as PK coach despite the PK being the worst in the league.

Hextall's problem is that he was too loyal.

So, despite the fact that Hakstol’s team improved 10 points last year and finished 14 higher than the one he inherited from Berube, the fan boards make red herrings of the penalty kill, the bad first periods, and a lot of things tied back to the same three-decade-long Flyer issue that has had little to do with coaching: Goaltending.

How is having the worst PK in the league a "red herring" How is it all the fault of the goalies when the PK is terrible no matter who is in goal? How is it the goalies fault that under Hakstol the Flyers are ranked 28th in first period goal scoring?

Under Berube the Flyers Points% was .553. Under Hakstol it is .565. That's a miniscule amount of improvement.

Interesting article. Are you suggesting that Provorov’s poor season, so far, has something to do with contract negotiations?

He wasn't loyal to Mason, who had 4 good seasons here, his last being his worst was still as good as what Elliott has put up here.

I still say if he didn't allow Berube to fire Reese, (and then Berube got the axe anyway a year later), & extend Mason who was in his late 20's , we would have been ok in net until the next wave took over.

His stubbornness to adapt along the way did him in, & I totally agree with Jay.
How many prospects is enough until it starts affecting the current team?

He wasn't loyal to Mason, who had 4 good seasons here, his last being his worst was still as good as what Elliott has put up here.

I still say if he didn't allow Berube to fire Reese, (and then Berube got the axe anyway a year later), & extend Mason who was in his late 20's , we would have been ok in net until the next wave took over.

His stubbornness to adapt along the way did him in, & I totally agree with Jay.
How many prospects is enough until it starts affecting the current team?
- puckhead17

Agreed.

Here are my contentions with Jay's theories:

Otherwise Dave Hakstol would have been fired too, although he’s probably gone anyway because a new GM always, always, wants his own guy.

- Jay Greenberg

Except Hextall kept Berube around, wasting a year of a blossoming roster with a coach who had no business being one. (Good luck, St. Louis!)

...the same three-decade-long Flyer issue that has had little to do with coaching: Goaltending.
- Jay Greenberg

Sands of time cannot bury the good goaltending provided by Roman Cechmanek, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Steve Mason in that time. Amazing that a former goalie could not understand the good goalie he had in Steve Mason and how Berube misused him -- even causing the goalie coach to resign in disgust.

Cam Ward
Jaro Halak
Jon Bernier

All UFA goalies this off season.

There were options to upgrade the back-up goal tending. Hexy rolled the dice & lost.

Cam Ward
Jaro Halak
Jon Bernier

All UFA goalies this off season.

There were options to upgrade the back-up goal tending. Hexy rolled the dice & lost.
- flyguy12

There were plenty of guys who could have been here to play 30-35 games. Not named Neuvirth.

Quotes aren't working but puckhead and skippy are on it. That whole situation with Mason and Berube stunk! As was the mess with Vinny and Berube. For all his magic with drafting, there was definitely a problem with Hextall's coaching staff decisions and dealing with different personalities.

Cam Ward
Jaro Halak
Jon Bernier

All UFA goalies this off season.

There were options to upgrade the back-up goal tending. Hexy rolled the dice & lost.
- flyguy12

How you been? Heineken Chic?

Cam Ward
Jaro Halak
Jon Bernier

All UFA goalies this off season.

There were options to upgrade the back-up goal tending. Hexy rolled the dice & lost.
- flyguy12

i don't agree those other issues are red herrings. the PK....no excuse for it being as bad as it is for as long as it is and making no fundamental changes.

they screwed up with Bob - granted that was on Homer et al - but hextall then erred with Mason. he was generally rock solid, and great at times. i have no idea what went sour there or why, but nothing they've plugged in there since has worked for any length of time. the carousel is ABSURD at this point, and just gives oxygen to the false narrative that they haven't had a goalie since, well, hextall. i've heard it repeatedly in the last week, even before the firing.

i also disagree that coaching wasn't an issue between hextall and management. they all but confirmed in the PC when they said Q's name come up after his release. why would hextall choose that as one hill to die on?

he did great with the draft, piling up picks, and the cap, but that's where it ends. bad signings, mediocre coaching, mediocre play, no playoff series wins, not significant trades (i don't count mrazek - that was mutual desperation/benefit), on top of his growing isolationist, his way or no way MO...it's his own doing.

i love hextall, but i have no issue with this change right now. at all. they needed action now, and this is the first step.

Cam Ward
Jaro Halak
Jon Bernier

All UFA goalies this off season.

There were options to upgrade the back-up goal tending. Hexy rolled the dice & lost.
- flyguy12

that's exactly the order i would have gone looking for help. to re-sign Neuvirth after his horrendous 2017 season was inexcusable, despite his talent. he can be brilliant, but he's made of glass.

Hextall be like

Fascinating insight into the organization and personalities therein.....as a Kings fan, always bemoaned losing Schenn and Simmonds but Kings don't have those two rings without Richards, despite his rapid decline; always figured that those guys would eventually be part of a Flyers run to the Cup. But a former All Star goalkeeper unable to find a guy to play goal is the ultimate irony, especially after his former organization developed two keepers who have either won the Cup (Quick, a 3rd round draft pick) and made the SC Finals (Martin Jones, signed as an overage free agent). Helps to be good and lucky....hope the Flyers get it together, their fans sure deserve it.

Agreed.

Here are my contentions with Jay's theories:



Except Hextall kept Berube around, wasting a year of a blossoming roster with a coach who had no business being one. (Good luck, St. Louis!)



Sands of time cannot bury the good goaltending provided by Roman Cechmanek, Sergei Bobrovsky, and Steve Mason in that time. Amazing that a former goalie could not understand the good goalie he had in Steve Mason and how Berube misused him -- even causing the goalie coach to resign in disgust.
- Flyskippy

Absolutely agree with you!
Hextall being a former goalie made this all the more puzzling.
I think he had a personal riff with Mason, (maybe he was too outspoken?)

There were plenty of guys who could have been here to play 30-35 games. Not named Neuvirth.
- dragonoffrost

Correct!
Neuvirth is the only player to actually get injured at the carnival