Larry Henry Jr
Chuck Fletcher’s lack of positive roster moves over the past few seasons has certainly eaten away at the hopes of Philadelphia Flyers fans, but the team is now heading into a new direction with Fletcher no longer a part of the organization.
Fletcher was released of his duties as President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, the Flyers announced Friday. Daniel Brière, who is currently serving as Special Assistant to the General Manager, has been named Interim General Manager. The Flyers will immediately begin their search for two positions; a President of Hockey Operations and a General Manager.
“The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence,” Dave Scott, Chairman of Comcast Spectacor and Governor of the Philadelphia Flyers said. “Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations.
“This morning, we released Chuck Fletcher from his President and General Manager responsibilities. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward. Chuck faced significant challenges during his time as President and General Manager, including some that were outside of his control, but we have reached a point at which we must move in a different direction and look to the future under new leadership.”
Fletcher served as GM of the Flyers since December 2018 after previously holding several roles for the Florida Panthers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Minnesota Wild. The Flyers only made the NHL Playoffs once during Fletcher’s time as President and GM and are set to miss the postseason again this spring bearing a major turnaround.
“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 contention,” Scott said. “We know that this will be a multi-year process, and we are committed to doing it right, because we want to put this franchise on a path toward winning the Stanley Cup, period. In the coming days, we will begin the process of re-structuring our Hockey Operations Department by separating the President and General Manager positions. We view this as a critical opportunity to not only re-establish the standard of excellence that our fans expect, but also to bring new energy, accountability, and strategic vision to our organization.
“As Interim General Manager, Danny Brière will oversee Hockey Operations,” Scott added. “He is ideally suited for this role, having served as Special Assistant to the General Manager of the Flyers for the past year in addition to his more than 25 years in professional hockey as a player and in management. He will ensure a smooth transition following Chuck’s departure and support the team and Head Coach John Tortorella through the remainder of the season and into the offseason.”
The Flyers are 15 points out of the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference and are in the bottom four in fewest goals scored and bottom seven in goal differential.
You can follow Larry Henry on Twitter (@lhenry019) and e-mail him at [email protected].
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