On March, 30, 2020, the Flyers (89 Points) currently sit one point out of first place in the Metropolitan Division with the Washington Capitals (90 Points). Unbelievable right!!! Thanks to former General Manager Ron Hextall and the current General Manager Chuck Fletcher this is all being made possible. The Flyers are finally a contender, and let’s just see how this pans out when the season reconvenes.
The drafting guru in Hextall, and his scouting staff did a phenomenal job in putting a successful stamp on the Flyers current roster throughout the course of the season. This young orange and black team is littered with “Hextall” prospects up and down this roster (To include undrafted free agents) like Nolan Patrick, Oskar Lindblom, Joel Farabee, Travis Konecny, NAK, Philippe Myers, Travis Sanheim, Ivan Provorov, and Carter Hart. Moreover, Mark Friedman, Morgan Frost, Alex Lyon, Connor Bunnaman, Mikhail Vorobyev, Carsen Twarynski, and David Kase have all seen time with the big club this season, at some point or another.
One thing Hextall preached during his time as General Manager of the Flyers was patience. On May 7, 2014, when Hextall was introduced to the media he said that this was at least a five-year plan. Well, thanks to Hextall and his patience, patience really groomed two prominent Flyers today in Sean Couturier and Scott Laughton. We don’t have to rehash what happened in the past in regards to some peoples’ comments, but fortunately Hextall was brilliant enough now to protect Laughton at the 2017 Expansion Draft. Below is a list of players that Hextall protected:
FORWARDS (7)
- Sean Couturier
- Valterri Filppula
- Claude Giroux
- Scott Laughton
- Brayden Schenn
- Wayne Simmonds
- Jakub Voracek
DEFENSEMEN (3)
- Shayne Gostisbehere
- Radko Gudas
- Brandon Manning
GOALTENDER (1)
Anthony Stolarz
Hextall had people scratching their heads, and he raised some eyebrows for sure with protecting Laughton over Pierre Bellemare, “This kid took a step in terms of his dedication, his attachment to the game, his passion for the game, the way he plays the game…Last year I think he figured it out,” Hextall said to John Boruk at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago in regards to why he protected Laughton. Yes, his game needed fine tuning, to include playing better defensively, however, what Hextall knew was that every prospect grows at a different rate. Most prospects take time to learn how to play the game the right way, these players are just kids 18-19-20 years-old when they may first sniff the NHL. It is unfair to compare each prospect to Connor McDavid or Sidney Crosby, “It’s pretty special,” Laughton said on winning these two prestigious awards in the Flyers organization.
The young 26-year-old in Laughton continued, “Being in the organization for a while, it took me a little bit longer to get the wheels spinning, and to become comfortable in the league. It’s pretty special, and put in a lot of hard work.” Patience is virtue, if Hextall was patient then the Vegas Golden Knights would be an even more fortunate team with Laughton, a young 26-year-old that does everything and plays in every situation the coaching staff asks of him, “Our good team play, we have a really good team,” Laughton said were some reasons for his improved season.
Laughton continued, “The coaching staff for carving out my role making me more reliable.” Head Coach Alain Vigneault has placed Laughton in any situation to include the Penalty Kill, move to the second line…no problem, move to the Wing…no problem, move back to a third and fourth line Center…no problem. Laughton is a do it all, and he’s one of the hardest working Flyers that this team has to offer.
