At this stage of the Flyers season, now 55 games in with 27 still to go, the results are essentially meaningless. It’s not about wins and losses at this point. Despite that, when a head coach addresses playing with passion, accountability, and having a winning attitude as areas of concern, it raises eyebrows. He’s not the first to do it either.
In a 7-1 rout by the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Flyers losing streak reached eight games, with now three of those losses coming at the hands of the back-to-back champs. And the takeaways from this one are pretty simple. It can’t be much longer before more changes start coming. There isn’t much more to say about the play on the ice that hasn’t already been said during this streak. A season that was all about making the playoffs and getting back to winning has become the opposite in a hurry.
There’s really no end in sight for the Flyers losing trend, not without some serious adjustments. That was fully evident in the most recent defeat, a 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday night.
Depending on how his offseason goes for the Philadelphia Flyers, Chuck Fletcher might end up seeing his way out the door if he isn’t careful.
After another lopsided defeat to the Rangers that eerily resembled last week’s 9-0 embarrassment, this time an 8-3 margin, the statements made this week mean very little. This team is fractured beyond repair. It likely requires some sort of significant change. And the worst part is that in a year where there is so much uncertainty and hesitancy to take action, the Flyers might be stuck.
What Alain Vigneault has brought in that time has been refreshing. For the better part of a decade, the Flyers lacked a coach that seemed to challenge a steady core group of players, that didn’t demand the same excellence the fans did, that was satisfied with a participation award in the playoffs, but never advancing. That’s not Vigneault’s style.
622 days ago, the Flyers were a team in complete disarray. They needed a change and fired the GM. They followed by replacing the GM, firing the head coach and powering through with an interim coach and a rookie goalie in net. Now, they have claimed the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
From the beginning, Alain Vigneault brought in an authority and leadership that was lacking in the Flyers locker room. That leadership and guidance has given Vigneault a strong case for a Jack Adams Award nomination.
The Flyers were long rumored to be interested in and to hire Joel Quenneville as their head coach, but the veteran bench boss opted for Florida instead. The Flyers did hire another coach with a solid track record in Alain Vigneault, and he has proven to be a perfect fit in Philadelphia. But what makes him so successful?
It was only natural to feel disappointment that the NHL season was put on pause at a time when the Flyers were the hottest team in the league. But for the sake of one of the driving forces behind the success and unity of this year’s team, it was a necessary stoppage that provided a lot of perspective.
It will not go down as the most memorable decade in Flyers franchise history, but there were certainly a few great moments from start to finish in the 2010s.
On the morning of Dec. 3, 2019, one year since Fletcher’s hiring, the Flyers have a 15-7-5 record and just posted a 10-2-4 record in November, tying a franchise record with 24 points in the month of November for the fourth time in franchise history.
The 2019 IIHF World Championships begin on Friday and for eight Flyers, the season continues.
Alain Vigneault provided more insight into the hiring of Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo as assistant coaches, including the roles each coach will have with the Flyers. Experience was obviously a key in Chuck Fletcher’s decision to hire Vigneault and the decision to hire Therrien and Yeo.
When the Flyers announced the rest of Alain Vigneault’s coaching staff on Monday, it was clear experience was a key factor.
Early in Vigneault’s introductory press conference on Thursday, it became apparent why Fletcher felt he had found the right person for the job. Vigneault talked at length about the approach he will bring to the Flyers, one that involves approaching the game with the right mindset.
With Alain Vigneault now in as the Flyers head coach, what is next for Scott Gordon?
With Joel Quenneville off the board, the Flyers are left to explore other options for their next head coach. Here are a few options that still remain.
Say this about Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher: he knows this team has fundamental problems that go far beyond just adding players and changing coaches. There’s a reason the Flyers allowed the first goal in 50 games this season and trailed 2-0 in 32 of 82 games. It’s a mindset issue.
The word going around is that the Flyers are going to be “aggressive” this offseason in the free agent and trade market, looking at all the ways they can upgrade the team. Quite frankly, they have no choice. All you have to do is look across the street for a reminder of just how relevant they are right now.
The Flyers season is over, and it sets up for an interesting offseason for GM Chuck Fletcher, one that begins now that the season is over and will carry over throughout the summer and as the 2019-20 season approaches.
The season will ultimately be known for the failure to meet expectations, to take that next step in the development of a contender, and the massive fallout behind it.
Whether the Flyers stick with interim head coach Scott Gordon or look elsewhere for a new head coach, GM Chuck Fletcher said the search will not last long.
With 10 games remaining on the schedule, it remains to be seen if the Flyers take this win and turn it into some magical last-gasp playoff run that gets them in, but it kept their playoff hopes alive for now.
