Photo Credit: AP/Matt Slocum
With the Flyers’ season continuing to spiral out of control after Tuesday’s latest loss to the New York Islanders, the Flyers’ losing streak now has grown to 13 games, setting a new franchise record. The team’s fan base is beyond fed up and is making their disdain known to ownership the only way they know how: by simply not showing up to watch the games. Hitting them where it hurts the most (their pockets) may be the only way to get through to this now-corporate run franchise that they have had enough! Firing the coach Alain Vigneault should have been only the first step in the Flyers’ complete overall of this franchise. General Manager Chuck Fletcher helped to make this mess, so why should he be able to stick around and be part of the liquidation process come the trade deadline?
Chuck is the one who decided to trade for injury-prone veteran defenseman Ryan Ellis, who still has YYYEEAARRSSS left on his contract. He’s also the one who filled the roster with aging players like Braun, Yandle, Jones, Thompson, and Brassard- and now the team will be hard pressed to find a contender that might be willing to give up something of any real value to acquire one of these players.
So, I reiterate: with Fletcher being part of the problem why should he then be afforded the opportunity to remain in Philly to try and be part of the solution? With the team continuing to lose game after game, Chuck should be let go sooner rather than later so the team can replace him with whomever they plan to be his successor. That would both give time to the newly-appointed General Manager to evaluate his new team before the deadline and would eliminate the threat of Chuck potentially getting rid of an asset that his replacement may deem invaluable.
Our only hope is that this scheduled press conference for today is the team’s way of allowing Fletcher to bow out gracefully by announcing his resignation. Don’t think that’s an actual possibility? Monday night against the Dallas Stars this writer spotted former Flyer Danny Briere in the team’s management box sitting alongside both Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers’ Assistant General Manager Brent Flahr. Could this be them showing their future replacement around? Ownership has been grooming Briere for some time now. In fact, Valerie Camillo- the Flyers’ Business President- was the one who suggested to Briere that he should get a degree. Briere has done just that, enrolling in a program for a Master’s Business Administration (MBA) at the prestigious Wharton School of Finance, as well as enrolling in classes in negotiating techniques. But, to go one step further, the Flyers’ powers-that-be (Comcast Spectator) named Briere the acting GM for their East Coast Hockey Leagues (ECHL’s) Maine Mariners (who are affiliated with the New York Rangers) but are owned by Comcast. It is well known by now that the Montreal Canadiens were very interested in Danny as a possible candidate for their vacant General Manager job and the Flyers have even been rumored to have tried to block that from happening.
Although, Briere might not be this writer’s first choice to replace Chuck Fletcher, management must see something in him to groom him the way that they have. Also, the organization must still have some vested interest in him to one day take over the job.
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