A ‘necessary move’
Flyers brass didn’t feel GM Ron Hextall’s plan was the right one
PHILADELPHIA — The time had come for change.
The Philadelphia Flyers felt they needed a new look and a new direction.
Before the Flyers faced off against the Ottawa Senators at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday night, club president Paul Holmgren and Comcast Spectacor chief executive officer Dave Scott met with the media to explain Monday’s decision to fire general manager Ron Hextall.
Flyers management wasn’t happy with the team’s performance a quarter of the way through the National Hockey League regular season and felt Hextall wasn’t going to be the man to help them take the next step. Hextall had a plan, had been given five years to execute it, but ultimately lost his job because he refused to deviate from that plan.
He was lauded Tuesday for clearing cap space and setting the team up well for the future in that regard, but that was the only praise he received.
“I got to the point I felt it was the necessary move to push our team forward to have a different mindset in that chair,” Holmgren said. “What were the things (Hextall) was thinking about doing for the team? I don’t know. He was unyielding in his plan and remained that way.
“Good for him. He’s a wellthought out, deep-thinking guy and he put us in a better position moving forward.”
Scott said the Flyers hadn’t made enough progress under Hextall.
“He was very confident in his plan and his vision and Paul said it: He wasn’t going to waver from that plan, but, to me and to Paul, this is the fifth year and you guys look at the same data we look at and we thought it was time for a change,” Scott added.
There has been no shortage of names rumoured as possible replacements. Top candidates include former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and former Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis, who is close with Holmgren since their playing days with the Hartford Whalers. Florida Panthers executive Chris Pronger has also been mentioned.
The Flyers don’t want to hurry the process, but they’re also not going to waste time, and Holmgren insisted he had received plenty of expressions of interest. Scott added they hoped to have a replacement in “weeks, not months.”
“We’re going to go through a thorough process and talk to candidates. I said earlier (they need) a fresh outlook and fresh approach,” Holmgren said. “I don’t know how to explain it any more than that. I do have calls from a number of people interested.
“The Flyers are a world-renowned organization and a banner franchise in the NHL, so it’s a top job and there’s going to be a lot of interest.”
The future of head coach Dave Hakstol is cloudy. Holmgren denied reports he had talked with Hextall about the possibility of a coaching change. The reality is that whoever takes over as Flyers GM will want their own coach and Hakstol hasn’t had a boatload of success.
Holmgren met with Hakstol after the decision to fire Hextall was made Monday.
The Flyers have made the playoffs twice in Hakstol’s three seasons behind the bench, but they were eliminated in the first round both times. They were 10-11-2 this season before facing off against the Senators.
“All I could offer Dave (on Monday) was my support, and I told him, if there was anything I can do to help him do his job better, to feel free to come and talk to me about it,” Holmgren said. “Look … the players know, the coaches know and we all know it’s about winning and we haven’t been winning enough games lately.
“We need to get back to winning.”
I got to the point I felt it was the necessary move to push our team forward to have a different mindset in that chair ... He was unyielding in his plan and remained that way. Paul Holmgren