One 50-Year-Old UFA That Could Be The Answer To All The Flyers’ Problems: Rod Brind’Amour

Since the unfortunate passing of the beloved founder of the Flyers- Ed Snider- the team has just not been the same. When Ed was around the team was always comprised of hard-working, physical competitors that played the game the right way. 

Now, with the team under the direction of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Spectacor (David Scott- who has no personal interest in the team and who seems more concerned about profit margins than the product he puts on the ice), the team now has become timid/weak. They play the game with little to no physicality and/or heart; So much so that even now- nearing the end of a horrific season that has left most Flyers fans so frustrated they don’t even bother tuning into watch a game recently- Dave Scott still insist that he doesn’t foresee that the organization will make any major shakeups this offseason. Instead, they’ll just make some slight adjustments, and he has the utmost confidence in both his General Manager Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Alain Vigneault moving forward.

But is this assessment really accurate? Do you think that Ed would have said the same thing if he were here? Chuck Fletcher MAY be deserving of another season to prove himself. Yes, he has made some questionable draft choices, but he has also made some really good ones, as well. Yes, some of his off-season signings or re-signing’s were questionable (to put it nicely) after the sudden early departure of Matt Niskanen, but Chuck will finally have both the cap space and expiring contracts necessary to make some major changes to his NHL lineup this off season, including continuing to improve the Phantoms’ roster as well by adding to the organization’s depth chart through recent signings of his draft picks like Elliot Desnoyers, Tyson Foerster, and Zayde Wisdom.  

Can the same be said for Alain Vigneault though? After giving off a great first impression when arrived at the Flyers’ practice facility Preaching to be a “FUCKING FLYER” he showed refreshing glimpses of being like the Flyers’ once-great coach Mike Keenan (who had some extraordinarily successful years while here in Philly) by way of showing that he was going to hold his players accountable for their play and thus force them to buy into his new system. By introducing intense practices and limited days off, the Flyers were able to come out strong to start their first season under Vigneault (a trait they failed to do in prior seasons) and continued with the same for the rest of the season before eventually losing in the third round of the playoffs. 

This trend has since come to a screeching halt though: The Flyers have not been able to pick up where they left off last season, finding themselves just a .500 club this season. This is now a team that continues to struggle with consistency and is a far cry from the one that returned to play last season- beating out everyone in the round robin portion of play to then enter into the playoffs as the #1 seed. 

To date, his fates have changed: Vigneault seems to have rapidly lost the locker room since then. Through the struggles this season Vigneault’s tactics have been questionable: Blaming COVID for the teams’ collapses (when every other team in the league has had to deal with the same issues but have managed to adapt and overcome); Grasping at straws when it comes to ways to try and rectify the teams’ issues; Choosing to not play players who are ready and deserving; Reckless finger-pointing which has now proven to be quite detrimental this season. Additional questionable choices: Choosing to bench the team’s spark plug Travis Konecny (out of nowhere) earlier in the season (which sent the team’s captain into a rage); Questioning Carter Hart’s preparation habits- saying he needs to work harder (that part of his game has been praised- since before he was even drafted- by every scout, former coach of his, teammates, and analysts alike). Has Hart’s play been up to par? NOOO, but to pick that for a reason to label him a healthy scratch is absurd and befuddling.

Then, to top that off, when veteran defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere (a player who has made a miraculous turnaround this season) steps up and comes to Hart’s defense saying to the press that Hart’s preparation is second to none, he then found himself being reprimanded for speaking out and was waived shortly thereafter. This is simply ridiculous. Yes, the move was to try and relieve themselves of some cap space with the hopes that a team like Florida would have snatched him up (especially seeing that their star defender Aaron Ekblad had just went down with a season-ending injury), but how did the timing of that move really impact the locker room? This team lacks true leadership and the one time a veteran does step up and acts like one they seem to be punished for doing so.

That’s why the Flyers may need to consider moving on from Vigneault already. Alain’s choice to blatantly abuse his powers by recklessly placing the blame on random players, assistant coaches, and yes- even the general manager, has to stop! At some point he himself has to accept SOME of the responsibility: At the end of the day he is the boss behind the bench and he had a say when selecting his final roster and even his coaching staff (which is one of the most experienced and expensive in the entire league). 

To date, Vigneault seems deflated, out of excuses and people to blame, and has no clear answer or plan moving forward on how he will fix this team. Alain’s imprudent attempts to resolve this team’s problems have left his players with little to no respect for him. With Vigneault falling out of favor with his team they have not been so inclined to play well for him on a nightly basis, and once you have reached this point it is hard to ever regain their respect.

So, who then would be the best option if the Flyers were to sever ties with Vigneault at the season’s end?  How about a familiar name in Rod Brind’Amour?  This now 50-year-old impending free-agent coach spent parts of nine seasons playing in Philadelphia, in which he totaled 690 games played for the Flyers on South Broad Street. During his time here Brind’Amour embodied what it is to be a Flyer: Leaving it all out on the ice every single night, this constant competitor bled Orange and Black. 

But, on January 23^rd, 2000, the Flyers’ management decided to trade this fan favorite to the recently formed Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for the gritty veteran Keith Primeau. While Philadelphia’s general manager (at the time) Bob Clarke may have spun the Flyers’ faithful a tale on why they chose to trade their work horse in Brind’Amour, some still remember the nasty rumors concerning Rod and the face of the franchise (at the time) and you know that it was healthier then for the Flyers to decide to allow Brind’Amour to move on from the team and city that appreciated him so much. 

This move proved to not hinder Brind’Amour’s career; Rather, it advanced it for he went on to play another nine seasons with the Hurricanes where he even became the captain and got the chance to raise Lord Stanley’s Cup in 2006. With that being said, throughout his illustrious 21-year career in the NHL, Rod was the model of consistency- reaching the 20 goal mark an incredible 12 times, and the 50 point mark an astonishing 14 times. But offense was not the only aspect of the game he excelled at though: For his stellar play while in his own zone, Brind’Amour was rewarded with 2 Selke Trophies (an award given to the NHL’s top defensive forward). 

When it came time for Rod to finally take off that jersey for the last time, it was a no-brainer that the Hurricanes were quick to offer this once-great leader-on-the-ice an opportunity to step behind the bench. Brind’Amour of course accepted this offer, and it would prove to be quite the effortless transition; The only thing that had managed to change for this born leader was the fact that he now wore a suit instead of the team’s jersey. 

As a result of his success as an assistant, when the team’s head coaching job became vacant back in 2018, it was an easy decision to then give this coaching guru the honor of being named the ‘Canes next head coach. Once awarded this position, Brind’Amour did not waste any time before he began instilling the same work ethic and drive to compete into his players that he had exhibited when he played the game and once he had his men trained to play for the insignia on the front instead of the name on the back it was not long before the Hurricanes then found themselves battling for supremacy against the elite teams in the league. This still holds true today, seeing that Rod’s ‘Canes currently have the most points of any team in the league this season and have just clinched their third consecutive playoff appearance.

Although, Brind’Amour has worked endlessly to get to this point, and (like Vigneault) still expects the most from his players, Rod has not forgotten that this game is supposed to be fun. One way that Brind’Amour and the ‘Canes have been able to demonstrate that is by creating (what they call in Carolina) a storm surge: Post game celebrations that the ‘Canes threw (pre COVID) that were a great way for his team to connect after a big win with their ailing fan base. These post-game antics were thought up by his players and were different every night: On-ice limbo competitions, home run derbys, bowling, dodge ball, slam dunk competitions, and yes, for you Harry Potter fans- even a Quidditch match. These events became so popular that even some celebrities like the 4-time heavy-weight champ Evander Holyfield came to join the festivities. 

These celebrations were looked at as a way to reward his players for their hard work and allowed him to maintain a level of the upmost respect from his players, and when your team appreciates and respects you they will try their hardest night in and night out to win for you (something that Brind’Amour’s career .636 regular season coaching/winning percentage proves to be true). 

With such an immense amount of success in such a short amount of time, Rod is sure to be a hot commodity if he is to reach the open market. For those of you that are thinking there is no way that would ever happen. this writer would say “never say never”. Did you ever think that you would see Ron Hextall joining the Pittsburgh Penguins? Especially after knocking out owner Mario Lemieux’s teeth when they were both playing against each other? Crazier things have happened for sure and, given the fact that Brind’Amour is one of the lowest-paid coaches in the entire league right now (making just $600,000 this season), it begins to seem more like a possibility than just a pipe dream. The reason for this frugal contract is that the Hurricanes’ owner Thomas Dundon has been abundantly clear in previous statements made to the press that he believes NHL coaches and general managers alike are all currently over paid. Additionally, Dundon made it clear that he is not so inclined to join the league’s trend just to appease the fan base. 

While Carolina’s general manager Don Waddell is still confident a deal between Brind’Amour and their organization can be made, their selfless head coach has gone out and made it just a little more difficult to do so by expressing to the organization that he wants to see his entire coaching staff, training staff, and equipment staff be re-signed before he will be so inclined to ink a deal himself. Brind’Amour did this because the previously mentioned staff members’ contracts are expiring at this season’s end as well. 

Brind’Amour has never been thought of as money hungry (often taking less when he played so that his team could bring in better players to play alongside of him) it may just be time to start and think about # 1, and if a team like the Flyers were to part ways with their coach and make Rod an offer he can’t refuse, he may be so inclined to take it. In this writers’ personal opinion: If Brind’Amour was brought back to Philly (the city he once loved so dearly) he would have this team back on the right track in no time playing that same hardworking, gritty, FLYERS BRAND OF HOCKEY that Brind’Amour had oozing out of his pores back when he played here all those years ago.