I dont. Hextall's plan was draft and Develop. Guess what? Rebuilding isnt a guarantee. Look how long it took EDM to get good. They had to draft in the top 10, 10 out of 12 years from 2007 to 2019. If Hextall grabbed Makar or Heiskanen instead of Nolan Patrick things would have been a lot different for him
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

It's amazing to me that people just don't remember how things were leading up to the draft...It was Nico or Nolan...everything else was not even discussed as the top 2 taken. The most common thought at the time was that NJD would pick their pick, and Philly would take whichever of the 2 was left. That was Patrick.

This has been blown out of proportion by Clarke, who should have just kept his mouth shut for a change.

Risto is a legitimate top 4 RHS NHL defenseman on *any* team, period. The GM stated clearly he is NOT shopping Risto because he would leave a big hole in the lineup and he is not a rental so there is no rush to move him. However, like any good GM, its Briere's duty to listen to all offers and if something makes sense for the future of the team he would consider it. But right now, it's clear unless Briere is blown away he is not moving Risto, nor should he.

The Flyers are not tanking. They are not getting rid of players just to get more draft picks or free up cap space. They understand that going down the tanking road year after year is a slippery slope and very hard to get out of. They are going to be patient, free up more cap space, give their younger players time to develop, build a winning culture and when the time is right, pull the trigger on a FA signing or a good hockey trade. Torts will continue to be their coach. They will continue to play the style they play, and that's that. So I suggest you all just sit back and root for the team to succeed, and enjoy the ride this year.
- jd250

No he is not. You need to calm yourself down a bit over Risto, or you are going to blow a load.

Seriously, he has played well this year, but he is NOT a top 4 dman on any team in the league. All his play has done at this point is lessen the amount we would have to retain. But that's a moot point, as DB will not be trading either of Risto or Laughton.

It's amazing to me that people just don't remember how things were leading up to the draft...It was Nico or Nolan...everything else was not even discussed as the top 2 taken. The most common thought at the time was that NJD would pick their pick, and Philly would take whichever of the 2 was left. That was Patrick.

This has been blown out of proportion by Clarke, who should have just kept his mouth shut for a change.
- TheFreak

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And the Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And the Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.
- Tomahawk

none of that changes the fact there were people who wanted one of the dman and the GM made the wrong call.

It's amazing to me that people just don't remember how things were leading up to the draft...It was Nico or Nolan...everything else was not even discussed as the top 2 taken. The most common thought at the time was that NJD would pick their pick, and Philly would take whichever of the 2 was left. That was Patrick.

This has been blown out of proportion by Clarke, who should have just kept his mouth shut for a change.
- TheFreak

he was asked a question at the end of an hour-long interview. he answered it. what a travesty.

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And th Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.
- Tomahawk

Going even further, though I can't guarantee you that there wasn't a moot draft projection somewhere that had Makar as the second overall pick, but I'd bet folding money that there wasn't a credible one that did.

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And the Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.
- Tomahawk

agree, I remember it well, I was praying the Devils took Patrick , was happy the #2 was a neck and neck with #1.

On the other hand, it would have been nice if they went off the board and surprised us, you know, pull a Jett.

Hextall was and is a bad gm, ill never understand ppl love for his time here as a gm
- SlNlSTER

But he was bad because of the choices he made not because his philosophy was wrong. My point is if the 2nd overall pick doesnt bust, theres a very high chance he never gets fired.

It's amazing to me that people just don't remember how things were leading up to the draft...It was Nico or Nolan...everything else was not even discussed as the top 2 taken. The most common thought at the time was that NJD would pick their pick, and Philly would take whichever of the 2 was left. That was Patrick.

This has been blown out of proportion by Clarke, who should have just kept his mouth shut for a change.
- TheFreak

I full well know it was Nico or Nolan but at the end of the day results matter. Hextall Chose Patrick and it ended up being a bad pick. The fact that it ended up a bad pick lead to the Flyers having a very poor season in hexys final year and even then that wasnt what got him fired. It was his refusal to can Hakstol was the final straw.

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And the Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.
- Tomahawk

Thats not really a good comparison. No one on this board gets paid to scout talent. Hextall had a team of scouts and a lot of info we dont have access to. It is his job to make the right choices and he didnt. No one on this board was talking Makar or Heiskanen because our knowledge of the players doesnt really span past the rankings analysts put out. If what was said is true which many around the flyers do confirm that parts of the story are true. The Scouts recommended Heiskanen. Hextall made his own call which is his right as GM but also his responsibility if it doesnt pan out. It also is not a good look to ignore your scouts who have spent a year or so evaluating these players. IMO the scouts would have a better sense of a players level than a GM who probably doesnt have the time to do his own evaluations of a kids game.

As an example I did not originallly like the Luchenko pick. I wanted Eiserman. Heard a lot of talk about him. Then they picked a guy I had never heard of. I of course warmed up to the pick after a few days looking this guy up.

Thats not really a good comparison. No one on this board gets paid to scout talent. Hextall had a team of scouts and a lot of info we dont have access to. It is his job to make the right choices and he didnt. No one on this board was talking Makar or Heiskanen because our knowledge of the players doesnt really span past the rankings analysts put out. If what was said is true which many around the flyers do confirm that parts of the story are true. The Scouts recommended Heiskanen. Hextall made his own call which is his right as GM but also his responsibility if it doesnt pan out. It also is not a good look to ignore your scouts who have spent a year or so evaluating these players. IMO the scouts would have a better sense of a players level than a GM who probably doesnt have the time to do his own evaluations of a kids game.

As an example I did not originallly like the Luchenko pick. I wanted Eiserman. Heard a lot of talk about him. Then they picked a guy I had never heard of. I of course warmed up to the pick after a few days looking this guy up.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

You've badly missed the point that Tomahawk was making. Nothing to do with what access the fans had to scouting and everything about the consensus that was out there publicly on these players. It's not like Patrick was an identifiable bust. There was no consensus among any of the Flyers scouts on whom to pick. There was no consensus on picking Heiskanen.

I pretty much agree with the author of this article 100%. Danny Briere wasn’t hired because he was the best candidate available. He was hired because:
1. He is a well regarded former Flyer who would appeal to most of the fanbase
and
2. He is willing to be subservient to the dinosaur HC and the head cheerleader, Keith Jones

Danny Briere is a patsy.
- BiggE

I don’t buy the patsy part. He played before the lockout in the clutch and grab era when it was much harder to be a smaller guy. He also was filthy against other players to defend himself and went to the hard areas around the goal. A guy just doesn’t lose courage.

I do however believe he is afraid to lose a deal right now. His primary goal is to keep his job. Losing trades piss off fans faster than inactivity. Most NHL GMs are no different which is why there isn’t a ton a guys willing to make moves. The majority of GMs just draft, sign free agents and trade expiring contracts or lockerroom issues. It’s a league wide problem with the boys club.

Briere hasn’t made major deals yet because there is no pressure to do so. Same with firing the coaches. He will ride it out until he can’t anymore.

I don’t buy the patsy part. He played before the lockout in the clutch and grab era when it was much harder to be a smaller guy. He also was filthy against other players to defend himself and went to the hard areas around the goal. A guy just doesn’t lose courage.

I do however believe he is afraid to lose a deal right now. His primary goal is to keep his job. Losing trades piss off fans faster than inactivity. Most NHL GMs are no different which is why there isn’t a ton a guys willing to make moves. The majority of GMs just draft, sign free agents and trade expiring contracts or lockerroom issues. It’s a league wide problem with the boys club.

Briere hasn’t made major deals yet because there is no pressure to do so. Same with firing the coaches. He will ride it out until he can’t anymore.
- psuhockey

That's more of a function of the salary cap environment and most teams focusing on the draft because of it. There's just less player movement. Not about GM's unwilling to make moves. Less availability and cap space issues lead to it being harder to make deals.
The Flyers want to make moves and so does Briere but not just for the sake of making them. They're just waiting for the cap to clear up and then they will be more aggressive and business as usual. The "rebuild" is just cover for this self inflicted pause.

That's more of a function of the salary cap environment and most teams focusing on the draft because of it. There's just less player movement. Not about GM's unwilling to make moves. Less availability and cap space issues lead to it being harder to make deals.
The Flyers want to make moves and so does Briere but not just for the sake of making them. They're just waiting for the cap to clear up and then they will be more aggressive and business as usual. The "rebuild" is just cover for this self inflicted pause.
- MJL

The cap is just an excuse of mediocre GMs to keep their jobs while doing nothing. The cap hasn’t held back Zito or McCrimmon.

Wheeler ranks the Flyers under 23 prospects at 18th. Not a good place to be with a bottom half prospect pool and on the bubble.

https://www.nytimes.com/a...-prospects-rankings-2025/

After graduating Matvei Michkov and Bobby Brink, and aging out Massimo Rizzo and Elliot Desnoyers, the Flyers, driven primarily by the loss of Michkov, are one of the bigger year-to-year fallers in the countdown. The addition of a good prospect in Jett Luchanko and the progress of some others internally helps to soften the blow but not enough to prevent their pool from now looking like a middle-of-the-pack one that lacks a high-end talent.

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 6 (change: -12)

Wheeler ranks the Flyers under 23 prospects at 18th. Not a good place to be with a bottom half prospect pool and on the bubble.

https://www.nytimes.com/a...-prospects-rankings-2025/
- MBFlyerfan

hunter Mac in the top 5?

The cap is just an excuse of mediocre GMs to keep their jobs while doing nothing. The cap hasn’t held back Zito or McCrimmon.
- psuhockey

No. it's not an excuse. There are only so many deals out there. It's never going to be all out wheeling and dealing. Zito doesn't make the Tkachuk deal if Huberdeau and Weegar aren't drafted and developed. The Eichel situation is a complete outlier. It is not easy to find and make deals in a cap environment.

hunter Mac in the top 5?
- login

In this order:

Bonk
Luchanko
Andrae
Zavragin
Barkey
Bjarnason
Kolosov
Berglund
Gill
Powell
Grans
McDonald
Bump
Tuomaala
Knuble


Not a very inspiring list TBH.

Kolosov to the Phantoms

That wasn't Hextall's only mistake. How about drafting Provorov over Werenski or Mikko Rantanen in 2015? How about signing JVR to a 5 year deal? How about wasting the prime years of Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds? How about firing one of the best coaches in the NHL and replacing him with a college coach? Extending Andy MacDonald for 2 more years, or signing Dale Weise to a 4 year, $2.35 million AAV contract? Drafting Rubtsov in the first round when every other team were avoiding Russian players that year due to doping claims. I could go on but this paints a clear enough picture.
- jd250

Well said

Biggest mistake was drafting Patrick 2nd overall
And setting our franchise back 5 years on drafting garbages

you also said the Chuck had the Flyers on the fast track to contention. Until you realized it was all BS...
- Flyfly

Anyone who thought Chuck fletcher was gonna do good needs to wake up he is the worst gm I've ever seen

Most would agree. except the Flyer felators.

How he can sit there as the GM and still employ Rocky is beyond mind boggling.
- login

That's my only issue with danny

Can guarantee you not a single person on this board was talking about Makar pre-draft as an option at #2. And not a single person on this board was complaining about not taking Makar in the first couple of seasons post-draft. Hell, there were still people defending Patrick's potential up until the day he was traded.

Now they're all talking like Hextall should have known lol.

It's poetic justice that the Avs (by far the worst team that year) ended up with the generational dman. And the Flyers who finished 13OA got the scrub.
- Tomahawk

I hated the pick because he had knee issues and I didn't see a number 1 center

In this order:

Bonk
Luchanko
Andrae
Zavragin
Barkey
Bjarnason
Kolosov
Berglund
Gill
Powell
Grans
McDonald
Bump
Tuomaala
Knuble


Not a very inspiring list TBH.
- MBFlyerfan

I believe Gill is being severely under valued.