Alain Vigneault out as Flyers head coach
After dropping their eighth game in a row, the Flyers decided to make some coaching changes. In the midst of his third season with the team, Alain Vigneault is out as head coach.
He finishes his head coaching career in Philadelphia with a 74-54-19 record. His first season was filled with promise as the Flyers finished second in the Metropolitan Division. If the remainder of the season had not ended up being cancelled, it was possible they could’ve finished atop the division as well.
After a lengthy pause, the Flyers came to the bubble and won their way to the best Eastern team coming into the playoffs. That’s when the cracks began to show. While they would defeat the Canadiens in the first round, it wasn’t as easy as defeating the lowest seed should’ve been. And while they almost took the Islanders all the way in the second round, it was clear they weren’t on the same level.
Vigneault’s second season started off strong as well but almost quickly fell apart. The Flyers goaltending was a mess and various holes popped up throughout the year. A 25-23-8 record saw them finish sixth in division and miss the playoffs. That led Chuck Fletcher to the big off-season that he had.
Out was Jakub Voracek, in was Cam Atkinson. The team traded Robert Hagg for Rasmus Ristolainen. They sent Phil Myers and Nolan Patrick to Nashville for Ryan Ellis. And they brought in names such as Keith Yandle, Derick Brassard and Martin Jones.
There were high expectations for the Flyers coming in with the moves that were made this summer. There was a clear expectation that this team should be able to contend in what has been a tough division.
However, they have largely failed to play above expectations and look like a team is truly lost. They are 8-10-4 and sit in sixth in the Metro. They are seven points out of a wild card spot. The time for changes was now. Along with the firing of Vigneault, Michel Therrien has been let go as well. Mike Yeo will be the interim head coach for the time being as the Flyers look for their next option.
Also can confirm that Mike Yeo will be interim coach, at least for now. Not a major surprise as he obviously has head coaching experience, and I believe he is well-liked by the players.
— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) December 6, 2021
Don't think that means the Flyers won't look elsewhere for an HC, but Yeo interim for now.
While with the interim tag, Yeo will be the sixth Flyers head coach since 2013-14, though Scott Gordon was only the interim for a short time before Vigneault was brought in. And with a group of players that have underachieved so far, he will have a tough task ahead of him. It’s possible a coaching change is what this team needs to wake them up. If things don’t change, the players could see themselves on the hot seat next.