Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Chuck Fletcher

Poll: Which GM Will Be Fired Next?

at CDT | by 11 Comments

Despite missing the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, the Vancouver Canucks decided to extend GM Jim Benning today. The reasons for that are complicated—and obviously do not hinge entirely on his postseason record—just as they were when the Minnesota Wild made the decision to fire Paul Fenton just 14 months into his tenure with the team. The inner workings of an NHL front office are almost never made public (unless there is an intrepid reporter like Michael Russo of The Athletic who gets the incredible story), and it is hard to see why some decisions are made.

Still, even the most casual fan can see the seat of specific executives and coaches heating up. When the Edmonton Oilers decided to move on from Peter Chiarelli during another disappointing season, it didn’t come as much of a surprise. On the other hand, it was easy to see why the Carolina Hurricanes recently locked up Don Waddell after he interviewed for another job.

Looking around the league, who is next? Which GM will be let go, either this year or next summer?

It might be easy to look at the teams that have struggled recently, but many of them have replaced their top hockey operations executive over the last few seasons. The Oilers brought in Ken Holland to change the culture in Edmonton, while Steve Yzerman returned to the Detroit Red Wings to bring a new voice to a stagnant team. Florida has gone through quite a bit of turmoil in the front office since their ownership changed but Dale Tallon now seems to be entrenched as a veteran leader.

There are others though that may not be so lucky. The Ottawa Senators are heading in a new direction after shedding their previous core, but if the young talent doesn’t develop as hoped Pierre Dorion could be held responsible. John Chayka was the youngest GM in history when he took over the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, but they still haven’t made the playoffs under his watch and now have new ownership of their own. Jason Botterill was expected to have success in Buffalo after finding so much of it in Pittsburgh, but the Sabres haven’t been able to build a full roster around Jack Eichel despite some outstanding individual players.

Nothing is certain when it comes to front offices however. Cast your vote below and explain just why you think they’ll be the first to go!

[Mobile users click here to vote]

*We’ve used Kelly McCrimmon as the Vegas GM, though he won’t officially take that title from George McPhee until September

Minnesota Begins Search For Paul Fenton’s Replacement At GM

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Saturday: TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports that Minnesota has asked permission to interview Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby.  He has served in that role with Montreal for the past five years after spending two seasons as their Director of Player Personnel.

Friday: The firing of GM Paul Fenton by the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday certainly came as a surprise to many, but not those within the organization, writes The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Fenton was dismissed after little more than a year on the job after a tenure that Russo describes as “death by a thousand cuts.” There was no one thing that caused Fenton to lose his job, but rather mounting evidence that he was a poor fit in the organization. Sources within the team stated that Fenton’s dysfunctional style of running the club caused a negative shift in the culture, both in the locker room and in the front office, and an overall drop-off in morale. Owner Craig Leipold and company were left cleaning up after Fenton’s messes as a lack of trust and communication permeated the entire organization. Whether it was Fenton’s dismissal of analytics, his disrespect for incumbent Wild executives, his mismanagement of the coaching staff, or his failure to maximize trade assets, the GM was constantly at odds with everyone around him, including his owner. As such, many Wild staffers were not shocked that Fenton was fired, even at a strange time in the middle of the off-season, as Russo writes that Leipold has been distressed about the situation “for months” and action became inevitable.

So, now in early August and following a draft and free agent frenzy run by Fenton, the Wild are in search for a new leader for their organization. Given the struggles under Fenton, a first-time GM, Minnesota is understandably seeking someone with experience on the job. Among the early candidates to emerge were former GM’s John Ferguson Jr., now with the Boston Bruins, and Dave Nonis, now with the Anaheim Ducks, and experienced assistants Bill Zito of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils. However, Russo reports that the team has chosen two free agent former GM’s as the first to interview for the position. Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall, both of whom were fired themselves during this past season, have already met with Leipold, president Matt Majka, and executive adviser Mike Modano about the opening, per Russo.

Chiarelli, fired by the Edmonton Oilers in January, has a Stanley Cup title on his resume with the Boston Bruins, but struggled greatly during his time with the Oilers. Chiarelli has also ended up on the wrong side of major trades and long-term contracts too often during his time in both Boston and Edmonton. There is no doubt that Chiarelli is an intelligent hockey mind, but there is some question as to whether he should be rushed right back into a top decision-making role. The Wild saw too many poor trade returns under Fenton, as well as a questionable free agent contract handed out to aging forward Mats Zuccarello, to put someone in control who they can’t trust not to continue that trend, so Chiarelli will have to convince the team that he has changed his approach.

As for Hextall, fired in November by the Philadelphia Flyers, some felt the former star goalie deserved a longer leash as GM. On paper, he left the team in good shape – ironically for replacement Chuck Fletcher, who preceded Fenton as Minnesota’s GM – but received criticism for his slow approach. Hextall may be a fine option in terms of hockey knowledge and ability as a GM, but Russo notes that, like Fenton, he has gained the reputation of being difficult to work with. An “intense” and “hard” boss, the fragile morale in Minnesota may not be ready for Hextall unless the team trusts that he will handle himself differently.

Russo points out that the Wild expect this to be a long, meticulous process and he does not believe that Chiarelli and Hextall interviewing first necessarily makes them the front-runners. In fact, it could very well have to do with the fact that neither has an affiliation with another NHL team at this moment. In addition to the other aforementioned names, Russo adds Dean Lombardi, Garth Snow, Bill Guerin, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Brian Lawton, Mike Gillis, and even reigning GM of the Year candidate Don Waddell, whose contract with the Carolina Hurricanes has yet to be renewed, as possible candidates. It is a long list of options with many different backgrounds and experience levels and it will take some time for Minnesota to sort it all out. For now, Chiarelli and Hextall are the only names to interview, but that group will expand as the summer wears on before the team makes a decision possibly months from now.

Front Office Notes: Holmgren, Wright, Rychel

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that long-time executive Paul Holmgren will be transitioning into an advisory role with the team moving forward, while GM Chuck Fletcher will now also have the title of president of hockey operations. Holmgren has been with the Flyers organization for 40 (non-consecutive) years in almost every role possible including player, assistant coach, head coach, assistant general manager, general manager, director of pro scouting and president, but will be taking a step back to spend more time with family.

Fletcher will take on even more responsibility as he tries to reshape the Flyers and take them back to the playoffs next season. The Flyers haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1975 and haven’t won a playoff round since 2012. Fletcher has already made several moves to try and change that streak this offseason, adding Matt Niskanen, Justin Braun and Kevin Hayes to the mix.

Coaching Notes: Schultz, Blues, Senators

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Philadelphia Flyers have hired Nick Schultz as a player development coach, beginning his transition from a playing career that only ended a couple of seasons ago. The former Flyers defenseman retired in 2017 after 1,069 games in the NHL, most of which were spent in a Minnesota Wild uniform. Originally selected in the second round by the Wild in 2000, he carved out a career as a stay at home defender that could be relied on in the toughest situations. He released a statement on his new position:

It’s exciting. I’m looking forward to working with the guys, helping [director of player development] Kjell Samuelsson with the defensemen, and getting to know the kids and their game a little bit. I’m looking forward to working with them throughout the year, watching them play and helping them make it to the next step, and ultimately one day become a Flyer.

The Flyers made a pair of other promotions in the hockey operations staff as they continue to transition under relatively new GM Chuck Fletcher. Some other coaching notes from around the league:

  • Not only is Craig Berube sticking around as St. Louis Blues head coach after agreeing to a multi-year contract this week, but the entire coaching staff. St. Louis GM Doug Armstrong announced that all of the current assistants would be returning next season, though the team may add another one because of the vacancy left when they promoted Berube during the year. Mike Van Ryn and Steve Ott currently serve as assistants for Berube.
  • Another team that is looking for assistants is the Ottawa Senators, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that candidates for the job include Stu Barnes, Kris Knoblauch, Dave Lowry, Davis Payne and Manny Viveiros. If it were Knoblauch, who served as an assistant with the Flyers the last two seasons, it would be a meeting of former enemies as Senators head coach D.J. Smith was behind the bench of the Oshawa Generals when they defeated Knoblauch’s Erie Otters in the 2015 OHL Championship. Smith already brought in Jack Capuano to serve as an associate coach and lend some experience to the staff.

Brian Elliott Re-Signs With Philadelphia Flyers

at CDT | by 7 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers have decided to bring back one of their veteran goaltenders, inking Brian Elliott to a one-year contract extension. The deal will carry a cap hit of $2MM. GM Chuck Fletcher explained the signing:

Brian has played well for us the last two seasons. He is a proven, quality goaltender who competes and battles hard every time he has the net. We are excited to have him rejoin our team.

Elliott, 34, was one of three Philadelphia goaltenders set to hit unrestricted free agency along with Michal Neuvirth and Cam Talbot, but will instead be the one that gets to work with Carter Hart next year in the Flyers’ net. The veteran netminder has been both sides of outstanding and terrible throughout his career, posting save percentages as low as .893 (55 games in 2010-11) and as high as .940 (38 games in 2011-12). That kind of inconsistency isn’t exactly what you’re looking for from a backup, but after posting decent results over his two years in Philadelphia the team will welcome him back for a reasonable price.

Make no mistake, even with Elliott’s long career history the Flyers are about to be Hart’s team. The 20-year old posted a .917 through his 31 appearances as a rookie this season and looks poised to become one of the NHL’s young goaltending stars before long. Philadelphia is insulating their young netminder with some experience though, as Elliott and Alex Lyon are both now under contract for next season and can carry some of the load if needed.

Amazingly, Hart isn’t the only young goaltender on his way for the Flyers. The team also has 20-year old Kirill Ustimenko and 22-year old Felix Sandstrom developing at their own pace, both third-round picks that have considerable upside. While they may not be ready by the time Elliott’s one-year contract is complete, it’s easy to understand why the team wouldn’t want to lock in any veterans for a multi-year term.

Elliott’s re-signing will change the goaltending landscape in free agency however, given that he was a potential option for other teams looking at bringing in some experience. In fact it may actually help his former teammates in Neuvirth and Talbot, who are both trying to recapture some of their past success and now have one fewer rival to deal with on the open market.

Travis Sanheim Re-Signs With Philadelphia Flyers

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Philadelphia Flyers have re-signed young defenseman Travis Sanheim to a two-year contract, avoiding restricted free agency. Sanheim will carry a $3.25MM cap hit over the two years and will still be an RFA when the deal expires in 2021. GM Chuck Fletcher released a statement:

We are very pleased with the progress Travis has made in his young career. He is a skilled, two-way defenseman with excellent size and mobility. He is a big part of our present and our future.

It’s hard to find a player on the Flyers that benefited more when the team decided to fire Dave Hakstol and install minor league head coach Scott Gordon last December. At that point, Sanheim had been playing sparingly for the Flyers, averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time and regularly seeing nothing in close games in the third period. Gordon, familiar with the young defenseman from his time with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, immediately promoted him and gave him more than 21 minutes in his first game. Sanheim would average nearly 22 for the rest of the season, and record 25 points in those 51 games.

That kind of production is exactly what the team now expects out of their young defenseman, who only turned 23 in March. Selected 17th overall in 2014, he will now have to impress another new coach, this time experienced bench boss Alain Vigneault. The Flyers will certainly give him that opportunity, but this time it may very well be alongside a veteran like Matt Niskanen or Justin Braun, both brought in this offseason to help stabilize the young Flyers’ defense.

This deal leaves the Flyers with several restricted free agents remaining unsigned, including Ryan Hartman, Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov.

Metropolitan Notes: Lee, Aho, Marleau, Subban, Provorov

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Talks continue to be ongoing, but so far there has been no contract agreement between the New York Islanders and their captain Anders Lee. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that he saw Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello and Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy were having a lengthy discussion during the draft Saturday. However, with unrestricted free agents being allowed to talk to other teams Sunday, a potential deal could be even more challenging.

In fact, Newsday’s Brian Heyman reports that he spoke to Lee, who remarked that the two sides haven’t reached an agreement yet.

“I never thought it would get to this point, but I guess it’s the nature of what this week means,” Lee said.

Lee said his first choice is to remain with the Islanders, but the belief is that the two sides remain far apart when it comes to term with New York likely wanting to avoid giving the veteran too long of a contract considering he’s already 28 and the team may not want to pay big into his mid-30’s.

  • Carolina Hurricanes general manager Don Waddell said that he had a “great discussion” yesterday with Sebastian Aho’s representation, according to NHL.com’s Michael Smith. The 21-year-old forward will be a restricted free agent on July 1 and the team hopes to lock Aho to a long-term deal now. He scored 30 goals and 83 points last season, both career highs and continually has shown improvement every year. “I think things are going to move along. … The good thing is I don’t think we’re terribly far apart. They want to get a deal done as much as we want to get a deal done.”
  • Smith also tweets that Waddell was thrilled to walk away from the Patrick Marleau deal with a future first-round pick and said that while the rumors suggest that Carolina intends to buyout Marleau, Waddell said they intend to talk to Marleau and see if he is interested in staying with Carolina. “For us, when you can pick up assets like that, like a 1st round pick, that’s important for the future. The plan would be to meet with Patrick, talk with him and see where he’s at. If he wanted to be a Hurricane, we’d certainly love to have him.”
  • Before trading for P.K. Subban earlier today, New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero said he spoke to both Taylor Hall and former Devil Brian Boyle about Subban before pulling the trigger on the deal, according to NHL.com’s Amanda Stein. Subban, who possesses a powerful personality, wanted to make sure that Subban would be a good fit as well as making sure that Hall approved of the deal, considering the Devils must convince their star player to re-sign at some point. NHL.com’s Dan Rosen also confirmed from Shero that the Nashville Predators did not retain any salaries as part of the deal.
  • Philly.com’s Sam Carchidi reports that the Philadelphia Flyers haven’t gotten very far yet with restricted free agent defenseman Ivan Provorov. General manager Chuck Fletcher said that progress with Provorov is slow because the team is waiting for the market to set before signing him. However, Fletcher did admit the team is much closer to signing restricted free agent Travis Sanheim and Scott Laughton.

 

Flyers Sign Kevin Hayes To Long-Term Contract

at CDT | by 30 Comments

June 19: The contract has been officially announced by the Flyers, matching the financial details originally reported. GM Chuck Fletcher released this statement:

We are very happy to sign Kevin to a long term contract. 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.

The deal will include a no-movement clause for the first three years and a 12-team no-trade clause the remaining four.

Per CapFriendly, the contract breaks down as follows:

2019-20: $4MM base salary, $5MM signing bonus
2020-21: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2021-22: $9MM base salary
2022-23: $3.75MM base salary, $3.75MM signing bonus
2023-24: $6.5MM base salary
2024-25: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus
2025-26: $4MM base salary, $1.25MM signing bonus

June 18: As soon as the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Kevin Hayes’ negotiating rights from the Winnipeg Jets, they became the favorites to sign the two-way center. However, talks had not been going as expected until a recent report that progress was finally being made toward a contract resolution. Now, TSN’s Bob McKenzie reports that a deal is imminent. He expects the contract to be worth $50MM over seven years.

Hayes’ reported $7.14MM AAV, a raise of more than $2MM over his latest contract, puts him in the top 20 among NHL centers and continues an off-season that appears to be a players’ market. For a player with just five seasons of pro experience who has averaged less than 20 goals and 50 points per year, this may seem like a high cap number. While centers are paid a premium and Hayes’ defensive effectiveness needs to be taken into account, it is likely that some will be skeptical of this deal. Nevertheless, the Flyers did what they needed to to lock up a top young free agent and fill a major need down the middle. Now the team must hope that Hayes can continue on his upward trajectory set by a career-high 55 points this past season.

Hayes joins Erik Karlsson and Jeff Skinner as top impending free agents that have now re-signed for more than many expected. In comparison, this contract makes the New York Islanders’ extensions of Brock Nelson and Jordan Eberle look very team-friendly, but may make extending Anders Lee more difficult. Besides Hayes, the major beneficiary of this contract is Matt Duchene, who is considered the top free agent center and has a strong argument to make substantially more than Hayes. Lee can also fairly make that case. Marcus Johansson and Gustav Nyquist additionally stand to benefit, as they have similar per-game numbers to Hayes, albeit are older and not natural centers.

Hayes now joins fellow new Flyers Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen on a re-tooled roster that has undoubtedly gained the imprint of new GM Chuck Fletcher. And it’s only June. Where else Philadelphia goes this summer remains to be seen, but the team will certainly have a different look when they take the ice next season.

Metropolitan Notes: Available Draft Picks, Hayes, Orpik, Burakovsky

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With the NHL Entry Draft fast approaching later this week, there are plenty of teams looking to make trades or even better, looking to move up in the draft, especially in the first round. The trick is finding a team who would be willing to move their first-round selection.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) looks at the entire first round and identifies team that might be open to trading their first-round pick and it doesn’t take long to notice that there are plenty of Metropolitan Division teams on his list of teams. The New York Rangers, already picking at the No. 2 position, also have the 20th pick in the draft, acquired from Winnipeg for Kevin Hayes, and might be willing to move that to further hasten their rebuild. In fact, it’s already been rumored to be sent back to Winnipeg as part of a package to acquire Jacob Trouba. The Philadelphia Flyers could be a team that might be willing to move the 11th overall pick as they are also looking to make changes to get them back into the playoff discussion.

Custance adds that you can’t count out either Pittsburgh (#21) or Carolina (#28) as well. The Penguins might be more open to moving the pick as they want to get one more chance at the title before the Sidney Crosby era ends, while Carolina wants to continue with the success they had last year and wants to continually build its core.

  • NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are still working on a new contract for Hayes, according to general manager Chuck Fletcher. The team traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights recently in hopes they could begin negotiating early and convince him to sign before other teams could be allowed to speak to him. “We’ve had some very good, constructive dialogue with Kevin. We’re continuing to work with his representation. We’ll see how things play out, but so far it’s been a positive process,” Fletcher said.
  • NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan writes that when the Washington Capitals acquired Radko Gudas from Philadelphia for Matt Niskanen, it likely ended the team’s relationship with veteran Brooks Orpik as well. The Capitals already had six defensemen under contract and restricted free agent Christian Djoos would make seven once they re-sign him. That would make Orpik the team’s eighth defenseman and with plenty of cap issues, it would be highly unlikely the team would consider bringing him back. Orpik said he would decide later this offseason whether he would retire or come back for one more year, but if he does want to come back, it’s likely going to be with another team.
  • NBC Sports’ James O’Brien also adds that with the signing of Carl Hagelin to a new four-year extension, that leaves little money left for the rest of their roster. The team already has committed $72.26MM committed to 17 players, leaving them with approximately $10.7MM in cap space to fill out their roster, assuming the salary cap will be set at $83MM this year, which is not a certainty. The team still has a number of key unsigned players, included unrestricted free agent Brett Connolly and restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. O’Brien wonders whether the Hagelin deal could mean the team considers moving Burakovsky’s rights. The Capitals and Burakovsky have had issues with each other at times, but the 24-year-old might be worth something as he still has quite a bit of talent left in him.

Philadelphia Flyers Shopping No. 11 Pick

at CDT | by 5 Comments

As GM Chuck Fletcher himself said earlier today, it’s still early in the off-season. The Philadelphia Flyers have another eleven days and a few hours yet to decide what they want to do with their first-round selection this year, the No. 11 pick. With that said, it sounds like Fletcher would prefer to forget about that countdown and instead trade the Flyers’ 2019 first-rounder. Speaking to the media this morning, Fletcher revealed that he’s “mentioned to teams that we’re in play, but there hasn’t been a big push for the pick yet”, adding that “it’s certainly a good chip that if moved, it could help” to land a major piece for the team.

While teams aren’t generally looking to trade away their first-round pick, one of the more valued assets in the NHL, nevertheless a pick as high as No. 11, the Flyers are one of the few teams who would be comfortable passing up a top selection for the right price. Philadelphia held picks No. 14 and 19 in the first round last year and grabbed forwards Joel Farabee and Jay O’Brien. Farabee was Hockey East’s Rookie of the Year at Boston University and is a candidate to break camp with the Flyers next season. O’Brien admittedly struggled in his first collegiate season, but the BCHL-bound prospect is likely to pay off down the road. The team also nabbed big defenseman Adam Ginning in the second round. Philly also had two first-round picks in 2017, the first notably being the No. 2 pick used on Nolan Patrick and the other being No. 27, which landed Morgan Frost, who has since recorded back-to-back 100+ point seasons for the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds and will also fight for a spot next season. Fellow OHL star forward Isaac Ratcliffe fell to the team in the second round, while they got a steal in another forward, the University of Minnesota-Duluth’s Noah Cates, in the fifth round. With a young, deep defense corps and wunderkind keeper Carter Hart already in place in the NHL and such a strong pipeline of prospects, especially at forward, skipping the first round this year would not hurt the Flyers, especially if they can use the pick to add an established veteran player to the roster.

However, the team is obviously prepared to make the pick if Fletcher and company are unable to find the right move. “If we keep (the pick) and stay at 11, we’re going to get a good player,” Fletcher said. Assistant GM Brent Flahr also spoke with the media, praising the depth of this draft class:

At number 11, somebody will fall to us… I think from 3 to 15 there will be a lot of the same names, but teams will have them ordered differently and I think that bodes well for us… The way we look at it, we will take the best player at 11. I think as we go in the draft, we have some young defensemen that are in the NHL right now, and a couple coming, but we probably like to add defensemen depth to our organization going forward, whether it’s at 11 or the second or third round, we will see.

Judging by Flahr’s comments and the aforementioned organizational forward depth, Flyers fans can likely expect one of two things with the No. 11 pick: either the team could trade it, as appears to be the favored route of Fletcher, or if they are unable to or simply decide to keep it, could target a name like Cam York, Philip Broberg, or Victor Soderstrom to add a top defenseman to the pipeline. We’ll find out in less than two weeks as the NHL Draft draws close.

 

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top