Ever since the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers and others made rebuilding an accepted modern strategy, team officials, fans and media are quicker to march behind that drum beat.

I believe we toss around the word “rebuild” without truly understanding what it means.

Rebuilding is not for the faint of heart. It still takes an eternity and it doesn’t come with a money back guarantee. Ask the Edmonton Oilers or Buffalo Sabres.

Detroit Red Wings fans can testify to the length of time required to build a contender from scratch. Their man Steve Yzerman has hit home runs with his first three first-round draft picks and grabbed a potential future goaltending phenom with another first rounder he acquired in a trade.

But the Red Wings still have a long way to go before they are a team with a legitimate chance of winning a championship.

Plus, there are now 32 teams feeding at the draft trough. That means it is growing more difficult, not easier, to build through the draft.

I believe a full rebuild is necessary for some teams. But the Philadelphia Flyers aren’t one of them. I bring this up only because I’ve been asked by multiple Flyers fans if the Flyers should rebuild. Maybe this is just a case of us not all being on the same page about what a true rebuild is. But what the Flyers need is what we used to call a major “shake-up.”

Here are my suggestions:

Make a splash with the coach hiring: Rick Tocchet. Paul Maurice. John Tortorella. You get where I’m heading. Hire someone who is going to get everyone’s attention. Tocchet would be a hit with the fan base and I think he did an exceptional job keeping the Arizona Coyotes competitive through a relentless defensive system. Tortorella would bring accountability to a team that needs it. Maurice is a pro’s pro.

Trade Claude Giroux: This will be a difficult decision because Giroux has served this franchise well. The mess in Philadelphia is not his fault. This has been a total system failure.
But Giroux is 34 and is playing well enough (34 points in 39 games) to justify a hefty salary. If you trade him to a contender, you can probably get a first-round pick and/or a nice prospect. Plainly said, the Flyers can't afford Giroux. They need to create cap space. The Flyers need it because Joel Farabee’s and Sean Couturier’s raises kick in. The remainder of the Giroux savings can bed used to fix problem spots. Free agents still like playing in the East because the travel is less.

Get what you can for Rasmus Ristolainen: Last summer’s revamp of the defense didn’t work as planned. It would have been better if Ryan Ellis had been healthy. But it’s fine to try again. Commit to Cam York. Ivan Provorov, Ellis, Travis Sanheim and York are still a nice start to a quality defense.

Embrace the draft: Right now the Flyers have the sixth-worst record. They could fall lower in the standings. They are likely to have a very early pick. If you can add another first round pick for Giroux and a second for Ristolainen, you suddenly have the makings of a strong cache of talented players for the Flyers’ renovations over the next three seasons. But they have to make those picks count. Ron Hextall was right about the draft when he was in Philadelphia. It is the key to staying competitive in a salary cap environment.

Recommit to Carter Hart, move on from Martin Jones: Remind everyone in the organization that Hart is still only 23. Most goalies wouldn’t even be in the NHL at his age. The potential for greatness is still there. Jones isn’t the answer as a backup goalie.

Move James van Riemsdyk’s contract: It might be easier to fly to Mars. But something needs to be done. According to Cap Friendly, the Flyers have 13 players under contract for $68 million next season. That leaves them just over $13 million to sign 10 players. That’s a lot of $1 million players. Even if they have to retain some salary, it would be worth it to remove any portion of van Riemsdyk's $7 million salary. If it’s not van Rimesdyk, someone else has to go.

Have to acquire or sign a scorer or two: The Flyers are 27th in scoring with a 2.45 goals per game average. With a tight budget, buying goals will be challenging. This is going to require some creativity. Is Chuck Fletcher the right man for that job?

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