Philadelphia Flyers rumors: Chuck Fletcher favorite for general manager
The Philadelphia Flyers are acting quickly to find a new general manager. Former Minnesota Wild general manager Chuck Fletcher is an early favorite for the role.
The Philadelphia Flyers made a rare move in late November, as they relieved general manager Ron Hextall from his duties. It’s rare to see a team get rid of their GM during the season. That’s usually an offseason move.
Naturally, the Flyers want to find a new person for this role as soon as possible. They’re acting quickly, as Chuck Fletcher, formerly of the Minnesota Wild, has emerged as an early favorite to replace Hextall, according to Darren Dreger.
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Nothing has been finalized yet, but Dreger noted he is meeting with Flyers president Paul Holmgren on Thursday and things could move quickly.
Fletcher has been out of work since being fired by the Wild in April of 2018 after spending nearly a decade with the team.
If the Flyers are looking for someone a bit more aggressive than Hextall (sort of ironic considering he’s the career penalty minutes leader for goaltenders), Fletcher would be a good candidate.
He helped turn the Minnesota Wild into a perennial playoff team by making bold moves. Fletcher’s ultimate legacy in Minnesota, however, is likely tied to the asinine matching 12-year contracts given to both Ryan Suter and Zach Parise.
The common complaint about Hextall is that he was too patient. But to be fair, it’s very difficult to make moves when your cap space is extremely limited. Hextall did a great job of clearing out bad deals and bringing in fresh young talent. But apparently, this wasn’t enough to save his job.
Whoever the next Flyers general manager is will have to make a pretty important decision right off the bat. They’ll have to consider what to do with incumbent head coach Dave Hakstol, who, for all intents and purposes, is a dead man walking. The new GM will also have to decide if he wants a new assistant general manager, as the Flyers recently fired Chris Pryor from the position.
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Philly seems to be adopting an aggressive strategy to find a new GM as soon as possible so their season can be saved. If Fletcher impresses Holmgren, something could be done as soon as this weekend.