Ron Hextall prizes patience above all other virtues, or so one can presume after seeing the fruition of the plans Hextall laid out when he took over in 2014. Sufficing to say, the NHL online sports betting odds didn’t favor Hextall’s strategies when he first laid out his intentions for the Flyers roster’s future.
Salary cap hell was plaguing the Philadelphia Flyers when Hextall came on board. Hextall then went about changing the philosophy so many previous general managers had pursued, Hextall choosing to build through the draft, a decision that has garnered him three draft classes.
The farm system is paying dividends from Hextall’s decision to stockpile draft picks. The Stanley Cup was a distant dream for the Flyers back in 2014, with the available salary cap space unable to avail Hextall the opportunity to add significant players.
Along with the burden of a few unmovable contracts, Hextall’s reign didn’t exactly start on a positive note. It didn’t take onlookers long to realize that Hextall was a different kind of leader, quickly trading veteran contracts at the trade deadlines, stockpiling draft picks and trusting the team he had at the time.
Now, Hextall can boast about the stock of prospects he has at all positions. He has especially succeeded at shredding salary off the roster.
The top 10 farm system that the Flyers can boast about for the second straight season must be imputed to Hextall’s great but difficult work, and everyone can see the results of his efforts.
Analysts at ESPN believe that the Flyers have the sixth best prospect pool in the league. Considering their position in the League just two years ago, this is a big deal. People like Corey Pronman don’t have anything but nice things to say about Hextall’s crop of talent.
You would be hard pressed to find a chink in the Flyers’ armor today. Not only do they have talented all round centers but they also have depth in their amateur and professional ranks, dynamic, and large defensemen as well as impressive goaltender depth.
Certainly, some people might complain about the lack of an Auston Matthews-caliber player. However, anyone who understands the game knows that a player like that never lingers in such a system for more than three months.
For Hextall, patience has played a crucial role in the growth of the Flyers, especially with regards to the development of the players.
Flyers fans are over the moon at this point, especially having seen the team transform so drastically in such a short space of time. At the moment, they are hoping the farm system continues its steady climb, delivering results sooner rather than later.
If their evolution continues, Hextall’s efforts could make the Flyers contenders for the next decade. The side went from 29th place in the ESPN rankings in 2013 to 10th place last summer.
At the present, they hold the sixth position in the ESPN rankings, and all their progress should be imputed to the hard work of Ron Hextall. The future of Philadelphia Flyers hockey looks optimistic at this point, especially if Hextall continues to steer the ship.
