Don’t expect instant change from new Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher

If you haven’t heard by now, the Philadelphia Flyers have hired former Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher to fill the hole left by the firing of Ron Hextall. The team has many question marks right now, so here’s what to expect in the early days of Fletcher’s control. 

Now that Chuck Fletcher has the keys to this team, he should be ready to go to work. Although this team has been a mess so far this season, don’t expect the new General Manager to come in to clean house and start from scratch. The Flyers are a team that have talent and have shown at times in the past that they can go on runs. What they also have is youth, and that is something Fletcher will use to his advantage.

Obviously the Flyers aren’t a team that can go win a Stanley Cup right now. There’s just no denying that. They have some solid pieces on their roster, starting with Claude Giroux, who despite all of the hate he gets from the fans at times, is still the best player on the team. He is a guy that I expect Fletcher to build around and to use to coach some of the young guys.

He also may use some of the young players in the organization who haven’t exactly worked out so far, or are still down in the AHL, to bring in other players to put around Giroux and the other core pieces. Right now, though, Fletcher will need to figure out which players still can work out here and which ones can be used as trade bait.

I know fans are jumping at the opportunity to start trading players all over and bringing in new talent, essentially blowing this team up, but Chuck Fletcher will more than likely take some time to see what this team has. Let’s not forget, this is an outsider to the organization and he’s going to need a couple weeks, if not more, to evaluate the roster and the coaching staff before making any decisions.

After Fletcher gets his chance to see the team first-hand, he’ll make his decision as far as if he wants to make changes with some of the forwards or defensemen and I fully expect him to at some point, either before the trade deadline or after the season ends. This is where some of those young assets who haven’t worked out will come in to play. Even guys like Wayne Simmonds and Jake Voracek could find themselves being used in trade talks at some point.

As far as the mess that is the goalie position goes, I fully expect Anthony Stolarz to get his chance and for Hakstol and Fletcher to give him said opportunity. That’s not to say the Flyers won’t look to the trade market to try to bring in another guy, but Stolarz deserves his shot and after playing very well against Pittsburgh, will probably be the number one option right now between the pipes. But what do the Flyers do about the other goalie spot?

This is where Fletcher will probably look first as far as changing the team around. Even if Stolarz continues to play great, the team still needs another guy and Alex Lyon, Brian Elliott, and Michal Neuvirth are just too unreliable right now. If the Flyers were to make a move soon, it would be to address the goaltending situation. Unfortunately, the goalie market isn’t that great right now, but one guy to watch out for is Los Angeles Kings goalie Jonathan Quick who if acquired, would have to be the number one guy just based on what they would probably have to give up for him.

Then there’s the head coach. Dave Hakstol has been a mess and some of his line combinations have been head-scratching to say the least. Next to the goaltending issues, this will be Fletcher’s biggest concern and probably the biggest pressure from Flyers fans. Just like the players, though, Fletcher will take his time to see what Hakstol can do.

There’s been a lot of talk about bringing in 3-time Stanley Cup winning coach Joel Quenneville, who has close ties to the Fletcher family, but I wouldn’t expect a coaching change any time soon and maybe not even until the end of the season. Quenneville could be a candidate come the offseason if the team decides to cut ties with their current head coach.

Fletcher has his work cut out for himself by taking on the GM position in Philadelphia. Fans are going to have to be patient with him because although this team definitely needs some adjustments, he will need to take time to get a feel for this team and coaching staff. In the end, I expect a few minor changes before the trade deadline and then a very busy offseason for the Flyers organization and their new General Manager.