It's amazing to me that Hextall is still getting blame for this. This team would be in so much worse condition if not for what Hextall did.
- MJL

I don't think Hextall did a good job here. We will have to agree to disagree as usual. He did a good job of eradicating their salary cap issues after Homer left them in a lurch, but after that he was very pedestrian as a GM. He seems to be doing the same thing with the Penwhines and will probably get canned from there in the not too distant future. Perhaps he needs to go work for the Coyotes cause he needs to build a team from the ground up in a market where people will be patient with his total rebuild.

Fletcher has crippled this team for years to come. The Coots contract was asinine the minute it was reported. Chuck will never be hired again. Says it all.
Not sure this team should hire from within, Briere has no credentials. Plus he learned UNDER FLETCHER.
Clean house.....DRAIN the SWAMP!
Flyers fan since I was 5....I'm 44 now. This is the worst I can ever remember.
- kennygarcon

Probably right. There were some bad teams over the years, but at least there was hope for the future. The worst thing about this Hextall-Fletcher reign is that the only hope we can have is like 7 to 10 years out.... maybe!

I hope there’s some lineup changes made. Braun has given this team everything he has but, in meaningless games, what does it prove playing him? Seeler too, we know his ceiling. No slight on either player but, let’s see if Attard and Zamula have matured some. Give them the remaining games and get them acclimated to NHL speed. Get a clear picture of what they can do. With a summer coming with plenty of changes (we hope), could shed some light on moving out some regulars. JVR, Bellows, for what? Maybe there is some limit to how many players that can be brought up, I don’t know.
- Laceemup88

You aren't getting anything for Bellows and he doesn't really count much against the cap. They need to move guys like Hayes, Sanheim and Angelo. That will be easier said than done.

You aren't getting anything for Bellows and he doesn't really count much against the cap. They need to move guys like Hayes, Sanheim and Angelo. That will be easier said than done.
- Phillywhiteout

I’m not looking for a return. My point was, I would rather see those named in suits, sitting. Use the remaining games to evaluate the young that might be part of the future.

Fletcher has crippled this team for years to come. The Coots contract was asinine the minute it was reported. Chuck will never be hired again. Says it all.
Not sure this team should hire from within, Briere has no credentials. Plus he learned UNDER FLETCHER.
Clean house.....DRAIN the SWAMP!
Flyers fan since I was 5....I'm 44 now. This is the worst I can ever remember.
- kennygarcon

I completely understand those that wanted to trade Couturier to get future assets. That certainly has merit but to call it asinine. I would strongly disagree.
I also have the same concerns about where Briere learned and studied under.

I’m not looking for a return. My point was, I would rather see those named in suits, sitting. Use the remaining games to evaluate the young that might be part of the future.
- Laceemup88

Sorry, I misunderstood.

I don't think Hextall did a good job here. We will have to agree to disagree as usual. He did a good job of eradicating their salary cap issues after Homer left them in a lurch, but after that he was very pedestrian as a GM. He seems to be doing the same thing with the Penwhines and will probably get canned from there in the not too distant future. Perhaps he needs to go work for the Coyotes cause he needs to build a team from the ground up in a market where people will be patient with his total rebuild.
- Phillywhiteout

Hextall took a team that was in really poor cap position and a poor prospect base. He cleared up the cap situation and built up a solid prospect base. His failure was not adding any elite players. He moved the team forward and put them in a good position for the future. It's that simple.

I don't think Torts was directly asked about Chuck but I do think it was obvious they weren't on the same page about various things.

I don't think Torts was directly asked about Chuck but I do think it was obvious they weren't on the same page about various things.
- bmeltzer

What? What gave you that idea, Bill?

Sorry, I misunderstood.
- Phillywhiteout

No apology needed. All good bro. I guess with the state of this team, we’re all reaching at straw, hoping to find diamonds.

No apology needed. All good bro. I guess with the state of this team, we’re all reaching at straw, hoping to find diamonds.
- Laceemup88

Yeah, diamonds in a pile of turds. I do agree with your sentiment too. Time to see the young guys. Hell, give Hayes and JVR fake injuries for all I care. The two young forwards that they just brought up seem to have acquitted themselves well. Let's see what a couple of these young defenders have to offer as well.

And the current call ups, Foerster and Desnoyer, don't count since they are considered emergency call ups with injuries to Allison and Pepe' Lemieux.
- Letterkenney

Lemieux seems to be fitting in really well with others that Chuckles has acquired. He loves to go out and get guys that can't stay healthy. So glad that he can't harm this organization any longer although I'm sure the blunders he committed will take a long time to recover from.

I completely understand those that wanted to trade Couturier to get future assets. That certainly has merit but to call it asinine. I would strongly disagree.
I also have the same concerns about where Briere learned and studied under.
- MJL

He certainly learned what not to do

Hextall took a team that was in really poor cap position and a poor prospect base. He cleared up the cap situation and built up a solid prospect base. His failure was not adding any elite players. He moved the team forward and put them in a good position for the future. It's that simple.
- MJL

That's the problem. He's a one trick pony. He indeed cleared up cap space as I said, but he acquired no elite talent and his drafting was average at best. Then his big signing was a 5 year contract to JVR? Again, very pedestrian if you ask me. Then he goes to western PA where they have elite aging talent in place and he can't build a supporting group around them. Very average and if he gets canned in Pittsburgh he may find it very hard to get another GM job similar to Chuckles. Wait, that's wrong. Chuckles will NEVER get hired as an NHL GM again.

I hate the Pens. That being said, I hope they smoke us. Lottery odds is all we got these days. What a joke this once proud franchise has become.
- BiggE

This. I hate it too but it’s now a race to the bottom. Every point we get is bad news.

Hextall took a team that was in really poor cap position and a poor prospect base. He cleared up the cap situation and built up a solid prospect base. His failure was not adding any elite players. He moved the team forward and put them in a good position for the future. It's that simple.
- MJL

Hexy did an OK -- far from great -- job at cap management.

Umberger had less term left than Hartnell but they made about the same cap hit; Hartnell had two 20-goal seasons left in him. RJ was oft-injured by that point and in severe decline. The move was spun as cap management but was actually done because Hexy thought Hartnell was a bad influence on the team (didn't like his work ethic, his conditioning, his push-back to coaches). It was a bad trade.

The Voracek contract extension was understandable in context: entering his prime, coming off a season where he contended for the Art Ross Trophy. I never had a problem with it. But there was still quite a bit of term left by the time of the trade to Columbus.

Giroux contract aged fine, IMO.

Weise at four years w/ $2.3M AAV was a bad deal.

Considering his injury issues, extending Michal Neuvirth for two years at $2.5M was a terrible contract.

Hexy was the GM when JVR was signed. He legitimately believed the team was ready to take the next step after the 98-point season in 2017-18. And maybe they would have been with the right moves. But they had two injured goalies in Elliott and Neuvirth, ended up with the disastrous Cal Pickard waiver pickup and the goalie carousel was underway that year.

Lemieux seems to be fitting in really well with others that Chuckles has acquired. He loves to go out and get guys that can't stay healthy. So glad that he can't harm this organization any longer although I'm sure the blunders he committed will take a long time to recover from.

- Phillywhiteout

Yep! CF's cancer has fully metastasized in the whole organization. All he has done now needs to be removed, and that's going to be difficult surgery. Let's hope Danny B is up to the task, but I'm nervous about that.

This. I hate it too but it’s now a race to the bottom. Every point we get is bad news.
- Hextall271

I see where you guys are coming from, but there is no way in hell I can bring myself to root for the Flyers to lose to those ass holes!! I can't do it! Especially with them in a battle to make the playoffs. Misery loves company and I want the Pens to miss out...although it might be fun to see them sneak in and get absolutely curb stomped by the Bruins!!

I don't think Torts was directly asked about Chuck but I do think it was obvious they weren't on the same page about various things.
- bmeltzer

I don't think there is any question about that.

That's the problem. He's a one trick pony. He indeed cleared up cap space as I said, but he acquired no elite talent and his drafting was average at best. Then his big signing was a 5 year contract to JVR? Again, very pedestrian if you ask me. Then he goes to western PA where they have elite aging talent in place and he can't build a supporting group around them. Very average and if he gets canned in Pittsburgh he may find it very hard to get another GM job similar to Chuckles. Wait, that's wrong. Chuckles will NEVER get hired as an NHL GM again.
- Phillywhiteout

Chuckles should be the Pens next GM. Finish the job that Hexy started in ruining that franchise, as well.

This. I hate it too but it’s now a race to the bottom. Every point we get is bad news.
- Hextall271

Agreed!! They pigeon holed us to only the draft lottery. Why not better the odds, even if it’s minuscule.

I don’t fully get the point that because Briere was under Fletcher for a period of time, he’s going to be a CF clone acting like some sort of robot. I’m fairly confident that Briere has his own set of views on how he’d like to operate. In addition, being in the front row for this debacle, I’d imagine he got good evidence of what not to do.

Hexy did an OK -- far from great -- job at cap management.

Umberger had less term left than Hartnell but they made about the same cap hit; Hartnell had two 20-goal seasons left in him. RJ was oft-injured by that point and in severe decline. The move was spun as cap management but was actually done because Hexy thought Hartnell was a bad influence on the team (didn't like his work ethic, his conditioning, his push-back to coaches). It was a bad trade.



- bmeltzer

I would disagree on that. I believe that Hextall thought that he could get more out of Umberger but Hartnell would up having to be bought out and was on Columbus' cap until 20/21. Umberger was on the cap until 17/18. Clearly a good cap move.

The Voracek contract extension was understandable in context: entering his prime, coming off a season where he contended for the Art Ross Trophy. I never had a problem with it. But there was still quite a bit of term left by the time of the trade to Columbus.


- bmeltzer

Voracek was 24 and was a top NHL scorer and either first or second in assists in the league at the time of the extension. Seemed on the verge of stardom.

Weise at four years w/ $2.3M AAV was a bad deal.


- bmeltzer

Yes it was.

Considering his injury issues, extending Michal Neuvirth for two years at $2.5M was a terrible contract.


- bmeltzer

The Flyers were in a bad spot goaltending wise and Hextall wasn't given much to work with in that position by the previous GM.

Hexy was the GM when JVR was signed. He legitimately believed the team was ready to take the next step after the 98-point season in 2017-18. And maybe they would have been with the right moves. But they had two injured goalies in Elliott and Neuvirth, ended up with the disastrous Cal Pickard waiver pickup and the goalie carousel was underway that year.
- bmeltzer

He tried to move the team forward there. I still think pressure from above was part of it. JVR was up and down and never reached the level he was in Toronto.

Hextall's UFA moves leaved a lot to be desired.

Chuckles should be the Pens next GM. Finish the job that Hexy started in ruining that franchise, as well.
- Letterkenney

I would disagree on that. I believe that Hextall thought that he could get more out of Umberger but Hartnell would up having to be bought out and was on Columbus' cap until 20/21. Umberger was on the cap until 17/18. Clearly a good cap move.
- MJL

You can disagree but Hexy disliked Hartnell and wanted him gone (that much I know 100 percent for a fact, for the reasons I stated). For the next two years, Columbus got more out of Hartnell than the Flyers got out of Umberger for pretty much the same cap hit.