Former Flyers GM Joins Metro Rival

Sometimes you succeed because of "addition by subtraction". You lose something or someone and improve your standing greatly. Maybe you ditch that no-good boyfriend/girlfriend or get rid of that car that can't stay running. In the sports world, you eliminate a clubhouse cancer or a player who can't perform.

Sometimes, you succeed because someone else added what you just recently subtracted. You can sit back and chuckle, grab the popcorn, get excited, and be a little giddy because you know what is coming next. On Thursday, Flyers fans got a little giddy as their Metropolitan Division rival, the New Jersey Devils, hired former Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher. Fletcher was hired as a senior advisor to general manager Tom Fitzgerald. It's unclear how much power and influence he'll have on his new club, but we can all be excited he is there.

Chuck Fletcher joins Devils as a special advisor

Fletcher became the general manager of the Flyers in 2018 after the team fired head coach Dave Hakstol and GM Ron Hextall. He took a team that was struggling, helped get them into the "Bubble Playoffs" of 2019-20, and then bottomed the team out. He was let go after an awful trade deadline experience in 2022-23.

Fletcher's run as GM is a huge mess. From long-term deals, such as overpaying for Kevin Hayes and Rasmus Ristolainen, and questionable draft pick selections, he ran this team into the ground. What he did as GM will be on this team for years to come.

Now he has a chance to ruin the Devils. New Jersey, two years ago, had suddenly become a playoff team out of nowhere after being, consistently, one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference. They were near the top of the Metro all season and had one of the top records in the NHL. Then, this past year, injuries riddled this team back into obscurity.

Again, we don't know how much input he will have on the Devils. Hopefully, he will ruin the Devils and keep them from being good for a long time. Now, you may think that this couldn't possibly happen. However, there is precedent.

In February 2021, the Penguins hired Hextall. He tinkered with them, got them a first-round exit in his first year as GM, and then had them miss the playoffs completely the following season. Instead of being a perennial lock for the playoffs, the Pens have slipped into being mediocre at best. He was fired at the end of the 2022-23 season.

But hey, if Hextall can wreck the Penguins, maybe Fletcher can do the same for the Devils. Cross your fingers and toes and hope for the best. If he does to NJ what he did to Philly, that will be one Metro team the Flyers won't have to worry about for a while.