Way back in February of 2018. The New York Rangers issued a letter to their fans indicating that they were going to start a rebuild, and asking for patience. It was a way of good communication between the front office and the fans. Obviously, the fans are the most important part in the sports industry, and effective communication goes a long way towards building a relationship between the fans and the team.
This was a very smart idea, and now the Flyers front office is taking a page out of the Rangers playbook. The Flyers new management team was introduced this past Friday, in what they are calling a “New Era of Orange.” Shortly before the Flyers management Press Conference, Flyers Twitter was a firestorm. People were sharing at a new picture that the Flyers front office released to the fans, it just so happened to be a nice letter:
The old regime refused to use the word “Rebuild”, and that was part of the miscommunication between the front office and fans. They were never able to repair that relationship between them and the fans. Regardless, of what Chuck Fletcher said, regardless of what Dave Scott said, most fans would not believe a word they had to say. And who can blame them, the front office refused to be honest with the fans as they were enduring a rebuild regardless of what they tried to say. If one looked at the on-ice product it was darn evident.
Unlike the Rangers rebuild, the Flyers have a long way to go towards being a Stanley Cup contender. The orange and black have to shed some long-term contracts, and they also have to figure out a way to offload players that should not be part of the rebuild. They are in the beginning stages of doing or finding this out, although the Rangers were able to speed up the rebuild with the acquisitions of Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. Both players wanted to play in New York, so the Rangers were gifted such. Unfortunately, the Flyers cannot get that lucky, thus they are not able to attain an elite defenseman, for instance, who wants to choose to play in Philly. In addition, it was also nice that Igor Shesterkin decided to leave the KHL and sign with the New York Rangers in 2019-20. Building from the net out is one key to a proper rebuild, so they had the man in net, coupled with an elite defenseman in Fox.
I do not believe that this rebuild will be like the Rangers latest rebuild. The Flyers are not fortunate enough to have players hand select them as a city they would like to play for, with the exception for Johnny Gaudreau, to which the Flyers were not in the position to add him due to cap and the number of long-term contracts the Flyers had.
Of course, as stated above this would speed up the rebuild by acquiring high-end talent, cheap high-end talent like Adam Fox was at the time. At the time Fox signed with the Rangers his contract was worth $2.775 million (Three years) to the equivalent $925,000 per year, not to mention a cheap deal for Shesterkin, as well. It would be nice if the Flyers were this fortunate, but it is highly unlikely. The easiest way for the Flyers to obtain high-end talent is through the draft with Cutter Gauthier on the horizon in a year or two, and of course, this year’s draft selection at pick 7. Fortunately, the Flyers have a good goaltender in Carter Hart so that cancels out the Shesterkin aspect, but he will not come cheaply in 2024-25 when his current contract expires. He is set to become a Restricted Free Agent (RFA), but he should command at least $5 million or more per year.
Unfortunately, I believe this is a two or three year rebuild. Rome was not built overnight, and neither will the new look Flyers. It will take more time and patience, and I know that isn’t what Flyers fans want to hear. They will be competitive and might be on the playoff bubble, but they will not be a threat for contention anytime soon. At least the front office is communicating effectively, and have taken responsibility in turning this thing around. If built properly the Flyers could contend by the 2025-26 season.
Maybe a letter to the fans and Friday’s press conference was the result of, oh I don’t know, the LOW ATTENDANCE AT GAMES? Just stating the OBVIOUS here. Try it sometime.