The Philadelphia Flyers have fired Chuck Fletcher, general manager and president of hockey operations, the team announced Friday.
“Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today we will begin charting a new path under a new leadership structure for hockey operations,” Flyers governor Dave Scott said in a statement. “This morning, we relieved Chuck Fletcher of his responsibilities as president and general manager. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this organization, and we wish him nothing but success moving forward.”
Daniel Brere will serve as interim general manager as the team looks to fill the separate GM and president of hockey operations roles. Brear, a former Flyers forward serving as special assistant to the general manager, is considered a serious candidate for one of the two jobs.
Fletcher’s firing comes a week after the NHL trade deadline, which was heavy for the Flyers. Fletcher was not able to trade several players Philadelphia was trying to relocate, including pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk. Fletcher was defensive over the lack of a van Riemsdyk deal, saying the market for the winger never materialised.
More organizational changes to the hockey operation are expected in the coming weeks, sources told ESPN. Scott will lead the search for new leadership positions.
Fletcher was in his fifth year leading the Flyers, with the team having made the playoffs only once during his tenure. Philadelphia has indicated it is working on a rebuild, with a letter coach John Tortorella writing to season-ticket holders in February saying the team “isn’t there yet.”
Scott shared similar sentiments when announcing Fletcher’s dismissal.
Scott said, “Flyers fans deserve a better team than what they’ve seen on the ice over the past few seasons, and a clear plan to return this team to Stanley Cup competition.” “We know this will be a multi-year process, and we are committed to getting it right as we look to keep this franchise on track to win the Stanley Cup, period.”
When Fletcher was hired, his directive was to strengthen the young core that former general manager Ron Hextall had assembled. Yet the organization felt it held onto its 2020 bubble performance – when the Flyers lost in the second round to the New York Islanders in seven games – for too long.
The Flyers have not won the Stanley Cup since claiming back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975. They last reached the Stanley Cup Finals in 2010 when Briere was on the team.
Philadelphia 24-30-11 This season is under first year coach Tortorella. So the Flyers decided it was time for a reset, which the organization expected to be a multi-year process.
