Wayne Simmonds is joining the Philadelphia Flyers' front office

I'm not sure that the Philadelphia Flyers need an Alumni Weekend anymore. More and more, the front office is becoming a spot where former Flyers greats are coming to stay. First, Daniel Briere became the team's general manager.

Shortly thereafter, Keith Jones, John LeClair, and Patrick Sharp joined the front office as team president and as special advisors, respectively. Now, a fan favorite has returned to join the club.

This past week, Wayne Simmonds was hired by the Flyers. After retiring this past spring as a member of the team, he has joined the front office in a dual role.

Simmons has been hired as a community relations ambassador and as a hockey operations consultant. To be honest, the team couldn't have found a better person.

First of all, the Wayne Train is one of the most popular Flyers over the last 20 years. That alone will make him a great community relations ambassador. He has always been very comfortable with the Philly fan base and understands them well.

The Philadelphia Flyers made a wonderful hire with Wayne Simmonds

He has also been a very popular player amongst his teammates. He will make a great representative of the players, organization, and fan base.

Even though the Flyers' fan base shows up win or lose, he may be able to help draw new interest into the team from people who may have never taken an interest in the sport before.

Secondly, Wayne is the very epitome of what it means to be a Flyer. He was smart, strong, clutch could score, could fight, could carry a team, could hype up the fans, and could fly up the ice.

The only thing he couldn't do was stay healthy but that was a byproduct of how intensely he played. It's also what endeared him to the team and its fanbase.

With a bevy of young players, Simmonds can serve as something of a mentor to a young corps of players who could learn a thing or two about playing to the best of their abilities.

Likewise, he has an eye for talent. He'll fit in with LeClair and Sharp in maximizing scouting and evaluating the team's young talent and, hopefully, improving their skill sets.

As the Flyers are getting ready to transition into a new season with a potentially great future ahead, the organization will need all the help and mentors they can get Simmonds can claim that role and take it. It's great to see him back in the family again.