Are Chuck Fletcher’s Days in Philly Numbered?

With just over 2 weeks left in another disappointing Flyers season, one cannot help but wonder if Chuck Fletcher’s days in Philly are numbered. 

Before we get to where we are today, let’s review some of the more memorable points in Fletcher’s tenure as Flyers GM.

Alain Vigneault is Hired

On April 15th, 2019 Chuck Fletcher’s first order of business was complete when he found his coach in Alain Vigneault.

“Alain has always been somebody I’ve admired and respected,” Fletcher said. “I’ve watched the job he’s done over the years and throughout his career, but particularly in Vancouver and with the Rangers. He’s always been what I considered to be a top coach in the NHL. I made a decision that I wanted to speak with him. During our conversations it became apparent to me that he was the right guy. Once you come to that conclusion it makes sense to pursue it and we were able to finalize it this morning.”

Trading for Kevin Hayes’s Rights

On June 3rd, 2019 Chuck Fletcher put his initial mark on the Flyers roster and maybe his most lasting in acquiring Kevin Hayes from the Winnipeg Jets for a 2019 5th round pick. Hayes had played for new Flyers coach Alain Vigneault for 4 years in New York and was due to become an unrestricted free-agent on July 1st. Fletcher would eventually sign Hayes to a seven-year contract worth $7.14 million AAV.

“We are very happy to sign Kevin to a long term contract,” said Fletcher. “He plays a smart, two-way game and is just entering the prime of his career. Kevin will add size and skill to our line-up.”

Gudas Traded for Niskanen

Fletcher’s first offseason was actually pretty good. He was able to acquire veteran defenseman, Matt Niskanen in exchange for Radko Gudas. It would be the 1st trade of 2 full time NHL players between the Capitals and Flyers since Washington entered the league in 1974.

“We’re very happy to have Matt join the Flyers,” Philadelphia general manager Chuck Fletcher said. “He is a veteran right-shot defenseman who has a track record of success as a Stanley Cup champion. Having played heavy minutes in all situations throughout his career, Matt will be a steadying influence to our talented and young group of defensemen.”

Picks for Braun

Four days after trading for Niskanen, Chuck Fletcher would trade for another veteran defenseman, this time for Justin Braun.

“We are excited to add Justin to our group of defensemen,” he said. “He is a high-character, quality defender who will bring a steadying presence to our team” said Chuck Fletcher.

In acquiring Braun Fletcher had to give up a 2019 2nd round pick and a 2020 3rd round pick.

Flyers Finish Covid Shortened Season 20 Games Over .500

Chuck Fletcher’s first season as Flyers GM seemingly went according to plan as the team finished 20 games over .500 for the first time since 2011-12. The Flyers looked energized and refreshed playing under Alain Vigneault and the new players brought it were doing just as they were brought in to do.

The team was flying high heading towards the post season as they had just won nine straight games before losing to the Boston Bruins. Not long after the season was cut short due to Covid-19 and since that time the Flyers just could not find their mojo.

The Bubble

In the bubble the Flyers would draw the 1 seed after going 3-0 in the round-robin pre playoff tournament. Things seemed great as the Flyers knocked off the Lightning, Bruins, and the Capitals, marking the first time since 2000 they’d begin the playoffs as the top seed.

The Flyers would matchup with the Montreal Canadiens and most Flyers fans figured they would run right through Montreal. This proved not to be the case as Montreal mostly outplayed the Flyers and outscored them 13-11 in the series while also outshooting the Flyers 145-132.

Ultimately the Flyers would take the series in 6 games, 4-2.

Next up it was the New York Islanders and it was much of the same as the Flyers were outplayed and at times utterly dominated but somehow managed to take the Islanders to 7 games, eventually losing 4-3.

In another strange and unexpected turn of events, Matt Niskanen retired shortly after the playoffs ended and things began to spiral for Fletcher and the Flyers as they would struggle to replace Niskanen’s steadying presence along the Flyers top pairing.

More Covid and Lake Tahoe Embarrassment

Year 2 ended up being a complete waste and an utter failure for Chuck Fletcher and the Flyers as Fletcher failed to replace Niskanen and the team continued to regress under Alain Vigneault.

For me the perfect summary of this season would be the Lake Tahoe game vs Boston. A game we all looked forward to, only to be disappointed as the Flyers were missing five of their top forwards and a defenseman. Due to COVID-19 protocols, forwards Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Jakub Voracek, Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton and defenseman Justin Braun were unable to make the trip to Lake Tahoe.

A season riddled with Covid and unfamiliar playing conditions made for easy excuses in Fletcher’s second season and he all but promised big changes in the off-season after 2020-21.

2021 Offseason

During the summer of 2021 Chuck Fletcher seemingly came through with the additions of Ryan Ellis, Cam Atkinson, and Rasmus Ristolainen. In acquiring these 3 players Fletcher also sent Jake Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere, Nolan Patrick, and Phil Myers packing.

Just as Fletcher said he would set out to do, he did. He turned over a massive chunk of the roster and brought in not just a top pairing defenseman in Ryan Ellis to pair with Ivan Provorov, but also a top 6, shoot-first, scoring winger in Cam Atkinson.

Now say what you want about the Rasmus Ristolainen trade, personally I did not like the deal and I like it even less now, but there was an attempt at change. I would rather see a GM attempt to get better rather than sit on his hands and wait for talent, but I digress.

Vigneault Fired, Ellis, Couturier Out for Season, Giroux Traded

Fast forward to the regular season where Alain Vigneault is fired less than 20 games into the season. Prized offseason acquisition, Ryan Ellis plays just 4 games. Former Selke Trophy winner and top line center, Sean Couturier, plays in just 29. Second line center Kevin Hayes has played in just 40 games.

The organization is forced to trade the longest ever tenured captain in Claude Giroux and the Flyers are a bottom 5 team in the NHL.

The season has basically been over since early December.

Chuck Fletcher is Not to Blame

Do I have sympathy for Chuck Fletcher? Eh, maybe a little. Do I blame him for the way things have played out? No, not necessarily, but as the General Manager of the franchise he is not without guilt.

In my opinion Chuck Fletcher is merely a symptom of what is wrong with the Philadelphia Flyers. Not just this season either. With the state of the franchise it was too easy for fans to criticize everything and the organization made it that way.

Fletcher is not the only problem. Heck he may not even be a problem at all, but he was brought in by those who may actually be the issue.

Thus it is time for not just Chuck Fletcher to move on but also the likes of Dave Scott.

The Flyers organization has somehow fallen out of touch with Philadelphia Flyers fans. It is time to clean house and start fresh. Managers, Coaches, Directors, etc.

A team with one of the greatest and most storied histories somehow thought it wise to promote a fuzzy orange mascot over their storied history featuring former players like Bobby Clarke, Bernie Parent, Eric Lindros, and John LeClair.

LeClair by the way was the last American born player to score 50 goals before Auston Matthews accomplished the feat earlier this season.

In conclusion whether it be fair or not, these last 2 weeks of the Flyers season could very well be the last we see of Chuck Fletcher as General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jim Iacovone is the Site Manager for HW Hockey
Listen to High and Wide Radio on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
For more Flyers coverage, follow and subscribe to High & Wide Hockey on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!