Within the historical past of the Philadelphia Flyers, there have been a complete of 9 basic managers (GMs) to ever maintain the place. Lots of the strikes that these GMs made have been nice, however there have been some inevitable misses within the course of. What’s the greatest mistake that every GM made for the Flyers of their historical past?
Bud Poile — Giving Up the Decide for Rick
The Flyers’ first GM, Bud Poile, had only a few strikes vital sufficient to select from. One specifically stands out above the remaining, the place he traded away a draft choose that might turn into a key participant within the NHL.
On Oct. 18, 1967, Poile traded a 1970 first-round choose to the Boston Bruins for heart Rosaire Paiement. He solely scored 9 factors for Philadelphia, whereas the draft choose grew to become ahead Rick MacLeish.
The distinctive half about this commerce is that the Flyers have been really capable of repent for his or her mistake and commerce for him again. He by no means performed for the Bruins, however spent 12 seasons with the Orange and Black. He scored 697 factors in 741 profession video games with the Flyers and received two Stanley Cups as nicely. In the long run, Boston was the workforce who made the most important mistake, passing on the elite centerman.
Keith Allen — An Ap-parent Mistake
Keith Allen could be top-of-the-line GMs in NHL historical past, partially as a consequence of his formation of the ‘Broad Road Bullies’, and showing within the playoffs in his final 11 seasons as GM of the workforce. Although he’s within the Hockey Corridor of Fame as a builder, there may be one gap on his resume that might have resulted in catastrophe.
On Jan. 31, 1971, Allen dealt goaltender Bernie Mum or dad to the Toronto Maple Leafs together with a 1971 second-round choose in alternate for netminder Bruce Gamble, heart Mike Walton, and a 1971 first-round choose. What’s extra is that the second-round choose Toronto obtained was used to take Rick Kehoe, an incredible participant for the Flyers’ rival Pittsburgh Penguins for a few years.
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Mum or dad went on to win two Vezina Trophies and two Conn Smythe Trophies in his profession. This would appear like a large failure on Allen’s half, however he really obtained the goaltender again solely a pair years later. The Corridor of Fame netminder was a key a part of each of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup championships regardless of being traded by the workforce. Mockingly, one of many gamers the Flyers obtained within the commerce, Walton, was the only real piece that returned to the Bruins to get MacLeish again. In the long run, this entire sequence labored out superbly. On paper, it’s nonetheless a foul take care of the good thing about hindsight.
Bob McCammon — A MacLeishé Sentiment
Admittedly, Bob McCammon’s time as Flyers’ GM was so short-lived that it was tough to discover a commerce of his that didn’t age nicely. The worst of his seven offers consists of one which despatched MacLeish to the Detroit Pink Wings for completely nothing in return on Jan. 8, 1984.
MacLeish wasn’t precisely executed along with his NHL profession at that time, however he didn’t play once more after the 1983-84 season. With Detroit, he scored 10 factors in 25 video games. That is nonetheless respectable manufacturing, so maybe the Flyers may have gotten one thing again in return apart from future concerns.
The reasoning behind the deal was that, in his personal phrases, “The event of our younger gamers and prime minor-league prospects made it potential for us to commerce Rick to Detroit” (from ‘MacLeish Traded To Pink Wings,’ New York Instances, Jan. 9, 1984). What made the Flyers nice on the time was their youth, confirmed by two of their prime three scorers being underneath the age of 26. Nevertheless, the sentiment of getting youthful is best is a bit cliché, because the veteran was good in his personal proper, scoring 22 factors in 29 video games. Over a full season, this could have been ok to put him fifth on the workforce in factors. It’s a little bit of a attain, however maybe this deal wasn’t one of the best.
Russ Farwell — A Ricci Value to Pay
Russ Farwell really had an excellent tenure because the Flyers’ GM. He earned the best to make an enormous splash, as he by no means actually had previously. This got here with the infamous Eric Lindros commerce that is still one of the crucial notable in league historical past.
On June 30, 1992, the Flyers traded an enormous package deal to the Quebec Nordiques (relocated to Colorado to turn into the Avalanche) to amass Lindros, giving up Peter Forsberg, Steve Duchesne, Mike Ricci, Kerry Huffman, Ron Hextall, two first-round draft picks, and $15 million in money. The Flyers gave up a hefty value with the intention to get their celebrity.
The one two gamers on this deal really value mentioning, Forsberg and Lindros, have practically equivalent careers, each having a single Hart Trophy to their identify however sadly having brief careers as a consequence of accidents. It may very well be argued that with the Avalanche groups of the ’90s and ’00s, the Flyers’ star may have received a number of Stanley Cup championships to match the previous Nordique.
Lindros was constantly one of the best participant on the Flyers, whereas this was solely the case for Forsberg on just a few events, as he had Joe Sakic and Patrick Roy by his facet. The similarities of those two gamers are the principle challenge right here, because the Flyers gave up a haul simply to barely enhance their participant, at greatest. Lindros was a really thrilling participant for the Flyers, however general, this commerce ought to go down as a loss for the workforce. It had its advantages, however the Flyers created a borderline dynasty with this transfer, however not for his or her workforce.
Bob Clarke — A Not So Sharp Deal
It’s plain that Bobby Clark was top-of-the-line Flyers in historical past. On two separate events, he served because the GM of the workforce for nearly three many years cumulatively. He was certain to have some duds, and he did when he parted methods with ahead Patrick Sharp.
After 66 video games within the NHL with simply 10 targets and 5 assists, he was traded together with Eric Meloche to the Chicago Blackhawks in alternate for ahead Matt Ellison and a third-round choose on Dec. 5, 2005. Successful three Stanley Cups in Chicago together with one towards the Flyers, this was undoubtedly one which Clarke want to have again.
In 749 video games with the Blackhawks, Sharp had 249 targets and 283 assists for 532 factors. He was by no means fairly one of the best participant on any of his groups, however he was nonetheless a significant piece to Chicago’s success. With out him, there’s a world the place the Flyers win the Stanley Cup in 2009-10.
Paul Holmgren — The MacDonald Chronicles
Basically every thing about Andrew MacDonald’s time in Philadelphia went awry. The whole lot together with what the workforce gave as much as get him, the extension he obtained, and his subsequent buyout all made the transaction to amass him a catastrophe.
Earlier than the 2014 Playoffs, Paul Holmgren made one in all his final trades because the GM of the Flyers. On March 4, 2014, he traded for MacDonald, giving up Matt Mangene, a 2014 third-round choose, and a 2015 second-round choose to the New York Islanders to get him. This deal appears harmless sufficient, however the defenseman grew to become one of many extra berated members of the Flyers for a number of years.
MacDonald might need gotten extra flack than he in any other case would have had he not been signed to a six-year, $30 million extension by Holmgren shortly after making the commerce. The Flyers’ protection, particularly within the 2010s, was not excellent. He didn’t essentially assist issues, as he by no means really lived as much as what he was being paid. As such, he was purchased out on June 15, 2019, formally ending his time in Philadelphia.
The actual mishap comes with what the Flyers gave up. The 2014 draft choose grew to become goaltender Ilya Sorokin, who was top-of-the-line goaltenders in 2022-23. The 2015 draft choose was not utilized by the Islanders, nevertheless it nonetheless grew to become Brandon Carlo, who’s arguably higher than any defenseman that the Flyers at present have on their roster. If they might, the Flyers would most likely take this deal again.
Ron Hextall — Hartnell Down
From the get-go, there was actually no want for this commerce. In Hextall’s first transfer because the GM of the Flyers, he despatched one of many most beloved gamers in workforce historical past to the Columbus Blue Jackets.
On June 23, 2014, Hartnell was dealt to Columbus in alternate for ahead R.J. Umberger and a 2015 fourth-round draft choose. You will need to word that this was not a wage dump, as the previous fan-favorite had a cap hit of $4.75 million for the subsequent 5 years, whereas the participant they obtained had a $4.6 million cap hit for the subsequent three years.
In Umberger’s return to Philadelphia, he had a mixed 11 targets and 15 assists for 26 factors in 106 video games. This led to a buyout of his contract, cementing the deal as a failure for the Flyers. As for Hartnell, he had fast success with Columbus, with 28 targets in his first season there. In complete, he had 64 targets and 82 assists for 146 factors in 234 video games with the Blue Jackets. Plain and easy, the Flyers misplaced this one.
Chuck Fletcher — A Risto-rical Blunder
Very like the Hartnell commerce, this deal was criticized from the very starting. The Flyers have been definitely out there for a right-handed defenseman on the time after shedding Matt Niskanen the yr prior, however this didn’t assist issues in any respect. GM Chuck Fletcher felt as if Rasmus Ristolainen may repair the workforce’s points.
On July 23, 2021, the Flyers despatched defenseman Robert Hagg, a 2021 first-round choose, and a 2023 second-round choose to the Buffalo Sabres to amass Ristolainen. A bodily defenseman coming off of a down yr, Philadelphia was betting on a magical transition into an elite defenseman. Sadly, this has not occurred but.
This commerce most likely contributed to Fletcher being fired from the GM place, and the truth that he doubled down on the deal by signing him to a five-year extension definitely didn’t assist. Ristolainen remains to be working to vary the narrative round his identify, however he may not ever stay as much as the contract he obtained.
Danny Briere — A Hayes-ty Commerce
Lastly, we get to the Flyers’ present GM in Danny Briere. He hasn’t held the job for very lengthy, so it was tough to discover a commerce that was a miss. Nevertheless, the one which despatched ahead Kevin Hayes to the St. Louis Blues suits the criterion one of the best.
On June 27, 2023, Hayes was traded to the Blues for a sixth-round choose. Briere needed to eat half of his $7.14 million wage to make the deal work, nonetheless with three years left on it. Whereas it additionally saved area, it appears as if Philadelphia made this deal out of necessity reasonably than for the worth they acquired again.
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That was primarily the case, as Briere had his fingers tied with this one. It was clear that Hayes and head coach John Tortorella didn’t have the best relationship, and that it could be greatest in the event that they have been cut up up. Consequently, the Flyers needed to take the most important hit with the intention to make this occur.
Every GM of the Flyers has had their fair proportion of misfortune. The longer one stays with a workforce, the extra susceptible they’re to creating a foul choice. Even one of the best of one of the best will not be protected from this.
