Ron Hextall Out as Flyers GM

[@frankripley3419]

Breaking: Ron Hextall signed as the starting goaltender for the Philadelphia Flyers.

[@sportsrook8282]

*_Calvin Pickard starts sweating profusely_*

[@jmarx3943]

Hextall will be backing up Claude Giroux

[@maxpowr90]

At least Garth Snow isn't between the pipes.

[@WakkoKakko]

WesIsaLeo Part of it had to do with Hellebuyck having a strong enough season to warrant a nod as a Vézina finalist.

[@Scandinavian1962]

On Wikipedia (at the moment) it says that the Philadelphia Flyers General manager is Gritty.

[@leftywith4strings201]

Japp Fun it says Gritty and Steve Yzerman. It also says the coach is ALMOST Joe Quennville.

[@edenjung9816]

Ah dang it they changed it again. I wanted to See that.

[@johnmack3497]

Gritty is now the top contender for both GM/Starting GK

[@Gunmarz]

Ron died on the hill for Hak. He was fired because he refused to fire Hak.

[@jmarx3943]

Makes sense. I appreciate the loyalty he has for his friend, but if that's true, they did the right thing.

[@Gunmarz]

@@jmarx3943 Survived how many losing streaks, survived way to much mediocrity and countless slow start games. Then this being the year for "the next step" and yet again mediocre start it just wasn't working with Hak. Terrible PK yet again, middling PP and goal tending carousel again. Only logical move if Hextall won't fire Hak and Lappy is to move on from Hextall. Ron was great at drafting, cap management and a majority of his trades and signings were good. He was overly patient and stubborn. It finally cost him.

[@m.robert123]

God damnit they fired the wrong guy!

[@Enthusiastlist]

Michael Robert haha rip the flyers!

[@marcol9936]

Nah, both were part of the problem.

[@m.robert123]

Yeah ownership needs to clean out the entire front office and coaching staff. It's a shame bc the team on the ice is a mix of great veteran talent and promising young talent (goaltending notwithstanding).

[@ianhall1998]

Genuinely surprised, and sad to see Hexy go. He completely revitalized the Flyers prospect pool and their development of young talent, and his drafting was pretty excellent. His patience with Hakstol might have been questionable, but he lives and breathes flyers hockey, and I wish him all the best. Hopefully Holmgren can find a new gm(and in turn, coach) that can help the flyers take that next step and become contenders

[@davesecx]

Gritty for coach, gm, and president.

[@luketrottier9388]

Brutal. Turned Flyers prospect pool from one of the worst to one of the best in a few years, trimmed down greatly on their bad contracts weighing the team down, and took a patient approach. Did everything right. Except be too patient with Hak when Comcast (and every one else) wanted Hak out. Damn.

[@Wanup_Vodka]

There was a jersey on the ice in the Toronto game Oilers fans take note

[@BoyNamedSue4]

Historians are going to remember this as the year everyone got fired.

[@FalseCredential]

I'm positive this happened because Hextall didn't want to fire Hakstol. Hexy died on that hill.

[@TheEpic22]

FalseCredential That’s really the only explanation I would accept.

[@mackerellis444]

hakstol hextall sounds all the same

[@latehakala5407]

thats why its making flyers terrible

[@bee6377]

That's why he wouldn't fire him lol. Maybe they would fire the wrong guy in confusion but it backfired..

[@RideYamaha98]

Philadelphia Flyers have hired Danny Briere as new GM, Joel Quenneville as head coach.

[@SR-ex8ip]

I was thinking something similar that this move was to get rid of hak so they could get Quenneville. Ronny wouldn't play ball so he's out.

[@NESADDICT]

Interesting.

[@keithrobert4625]

I am in total shock !!!! Didn't see that coming.

[@AlexMixUp]

Gritty for Flyers GM!

[@adama047]

Definitely an interesting move. Once you push that first domino...

[@jmarx3943]

Wow...just wow. I'm shocked that Hexy beat Hakstol out the door. How are other Flyers fans feeling about this?

[@phantom6715]

I am shocked.... Hakstol needs to be next.. Change can be good

[@MCrue2]

Not good, I wished Hex stayed and Hak gone. Something had to change, sure

[@declancoyle2592]

It hurts. Halstol is a joke

[@logant9546]

Not a fan personally. But, hopefully a new GM doesn't put up with Hak. Because Hex was the only reason he still had a job

[@LegionOfEclaires]

Not surprised. It was only a matter of time when you look at how this team turned out so far. We can no longer use the excuse of Ron inheriting a mess. No. This is his team. He is ultimately the one responsible and unfortunately, he's the one who pays the price. While I'm not a keen on firing Hextall because I do think he did many good things for the Organization, I'm optimistic that new leadership at the helm will correct the course. Sometimes change is good. Everyone who wants Hakstol relieved, we just gotta be patient because he will not keep his job after this season. I think he'll be relieved before January..

[@warfield0008]

thanks shannon! prompt as always. right when I read the news I got excited to hear your thoughts!

[@maxpowr90]

Oilers fans are pissed.

[@omegacbo]

Always there when i need a video!

[@Robert-vi9fx]

Time for GM Gritty.

[@coreymickanuik8199]

I didnt see this coming, thought the Coach would have been gone first...so many changes this season!

[@czarii2422]

If the flyers can do it, so can the oilers

[@ToasterNinja]

Can and will are two differnt things unfortunately

[@Brandon-qd2lb]

Yea but both teams are trash still lmao

[@czarii2422]

ToasterNinja definitely true

[@wilnerolivier7971]

It's moves like this that reminds you why this franchise haven't won a Cup in almost 45 years, it has been nothing of a merry go round with regards to coaches, general managers & goalies. Instabily has always been the word when best describing the Flyers as an organization.

[@julianc6863]

Joel Quenville is next coach.Its a lock and trade for Nylander and goalie

[@rahefissa6883]

Dr. Jules sucks that Nylander isnt getting traded

[@kosmicwizard]

@@rahefissa6883 he would be for ghost

[@jayjayson9613]

Hextall did a great job getting the team out of some bad deals, had some good drafts, this is surprising. Hakstol has to be next, this is a very surprising move.

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

Guy who fires Hextall: I'm sorry Ron, it's not working out... Ron Hextall: (*nods slightly, gets up from his desk chair and blocker-punches guy in the face*)

[@tarikalkaisi7544]

How the hell did Andrew Macdonald outlast everyone

[@TheEpic22]

Tarik Alkaisi Because you can’t fire players

[@HollowNA]

His contract is too expensive and nobody wants him 😂😂😂

[@brandonwilley4689]

LMFAO

[@hatterslax20]

Hextall obviously had a plan and wanted to build through the draft and we got a lot of really talented players through this system. He also brought us out of Cap Hell, but he just didn’t want to take the next step. Flyers are too good to be losing in the first round or not making the playoffs at all. I think Hak needs to go, he’s horrible and I hate him. Also need to change up the special teams coach because he does not deserve a job in the nhl

[@trisgilmour]

I’m not surprised he’s out but I’m surprised at the timing

[@nknez76]

I could see coach Q going to philly and getting coach/gm title. Like to see him in stl but I think this might give him more of what he may be looking for

[@ryan_baker3075]

Really hope you’re right that whoever the new GM is gets rid of Hakstol right away. In terms of who the new GM will be, Dean Lombardi I believe is the assistant GM right now or is in some sort of advisory role and he was with the Kings when they won their cups so I wouldn’t be surprised if they promoted him. I really want the flyers to get Coach Q but I doubt it happens. I could see them maybe getting Todd McLellan, Alain Vigneault, or promoting Scott Gordon from the Phantoms.

[@declancoyle2592]

Ryan_Stokes30 Joel Quinville bro

[@ryan_baker3075]

Phillyguy 21 trust me I really want him as our coach but I just don’t see it happening. I think he’ll probably end up with the Blues like a lot of people are speculating.

[@Gunmarz]

Dreger is reporting Chuck Fletcher and Ron Francis are early candidates for GM

[@ryan_baker3075]

Gunmars I don’t mind Fletcher but I’d pass on Ron Francis IMO

[@kellyw1389]

Diehard Flyers fan here: it's not that we're not okay with losing; it's that we're not okay with continued mediocrity when steps forward have been promised for quite some time. This was supposed to be a year in which the team took a turn and the fanbase was rewarded for their patience. Instead, we get more mediocrity, but this time, there isn't a larger plan in place that we can use as an excuse for the mediocrity. I don't necessarily agree with the Hextall firing, but if his plan was to continue to insist that "wait and see" was the best approach with a league-worst PK and a team that cannot get off to a good start early (which have been consistent issues in the last few years), then he deserved to go to make room for someone who doesn't sacrifice real progress for the sake of conservatism. Love your videos, THG. Thanks for making one on this move.

[@jonixdwow]

Going to be really interesting to see what's going to follow. Expecting coaching changes, but can't rule out the fact that Flyers have a lot of trading assets if they want to upgrade player-wise.

[@brandonwilley4689]

St Kr Rubstov, Patrick, Vorobyev, Myers, Hart, Sandstrom, Frost, Allison, Farabee. Theirs more lol the prospect pipeline is stacked full of young kids that are pretty good that you could get a high return on. Let alone Simmer, Jake, Coots the forward depth is probably top 10 in the league if they could get their shit together.

[@PhaseHater1998]

I think Hextall actually did a really good job with the Flyers, he should be assistant GM or something. He was really good at minor trades, he got us Weal for Luke Schenn and Vinnys contracts. Drafted Provorov, TK, Patrick, Frost, Hart etc. We never found an answer for the goal tending and that’s ultimately why he got fired I’m assuming. The defense isn’t piss poor, it’s a very young blue line that’s still learning. Provorov in his third year has been the catalyst for that team defensively but he can’t do it himself. Sanheim, Ghost and Gudas are constantly letting in bad goals. Hagg and Folin can somewhat defend. I’m think one of either Voracek or Simmonds needs to go, both shells of themselves.

[@comicbookcountdown9252]

I was surprised to see that Paul Holmgren still has a job with the Flyers.

[@zachmontminy]

The "Philosophical Differences" quote is telling. I'm betting yesterday they wanted him to fire the coach, and he wouldn't so they canned him instead.

[@TheEpic22]

Unless this is quickly followed by Hak being outed as well, it’s utterly idiotic. Hextall was a great GM, and his only mistake was hiring and keeping a bad coach. But drafting, trading, and managing the salary cap were all done well by him consistently. Firing him is dumb.

[@zachmontminy]

Signing Dale Weise for 4 years Giving Michal Neuvirth an extension Having no clear goalie plan until Carter Hart is ready Leaving kids in the minors a year too long Pushed a "Win while rebuilding" mantra that made the team not tank and as a result get worse draft picks than they needed Allowing Andrew MacDonald and Jori Lehtera to stay in the NHL and subsequently be used in key situations by the braindead head coach that RON HEXTALL hired and REFUSED to fire He was not perfect. He drafted well with what he had, and traded dead weight well, but that's about it. The JVR signing is the only real win now move he did.

[@proeb7634]

He was probably fired because he couldn't get a good goalie, which is weird because Claude Giroux was right in front of him.

[@nightsofchaos4722]

Need a front office rebuild til we get a goalie lmao

[@leftywith4strings201]

They mixed up names. They meant to fire Hakstol, totally

[@kosmicwizard]

And Holmgren

[@DrDookieonYourDoorstep]

I always thought Hakstol and Hextall were the same person just different pronunciations...

[@sportsguy28]

They got the wrong guy

[@thesuperostrich]

Where there’s smoke there’s fire

[@primemcmanus]

I saw a change occurring with the Flyers, they've been stuck in this up year down year shit ever since he's taken over and after the way the team's started this year, some heads were gonna roll but I thought Hakstol would be out first. Hextall seemed to have this infatuation with Hakstol (surprised he hasn't been fired yet but it sounds like it's only a matter of time) and he wasn't doing anything to try and spark the team so it makes sense but it doesn't at the same time imo.

[@MattW30356]

I myself would like to see Yzerman brought in as GM and Quenville to come in as coach, the Flyers need fresh blood from outside the organization to step in and take over. Hak was the only guy interviewed by Hexy when he got the job, keep in mind that Babcock was out there.

[@AlbanianMan]

Dale Tallon in Florida should be next!

[@vovamccher8160]

Goaltending. Flyers have to solve this problem.

[@kennycai8695]

If you ask me, Hextall was the scapegoat for Holmgren's mistakes. Keeping Hakstol on the bench may have done Hexy in, but you have to remember that the Flyers were a mess when Hextall was brought in. It was Hextall that helped to rebuild the farm system and untangle the salary cap woes the Flyers had under Holmgren's watch. This feels like a knee-jerk move by Holmgren to save his own job, though how this will affect the Flyers down the line remain unclear.

[@courtneyallison4332]

As a Flyers fan, it has been SO INCREDIBLY frustrating to watch this team the past few years. Ultimately, what we want to see is effort. Give us freaking effort. When you're down 4 goals within the first 8 minutes of a game, that's the least amount of effort you can possibly give us. Philly fans will boo our teams, but it's not because we HATE our teams. We love our Philly sports team and when we do not see any effort AT ALL being put onto the field, the ice, whatever, we will let you hear it. I hope that Hakstol is next. If he doesn't get the boot, firing Hextall would be for nothing.

[@BrodesMedia]

Hakstol is next. CLEAN THE STAFF. MAKE A TRADE.voracek, simmonds, ghost, idc. lets get it done

[@mackthecanadian9934]

Ghost isn't getting traded out

[@2099Oz]

Ins't Voracek your most consistent forward every season for the last couple of seasons? Why do you want to trade him?

[@steaux9623]

he doesnt give a fuck. sometimes he will have a period where he actually goes all out and its really impressive what he can do, but it is so rare that he tries his absolute best.

[@LegionOfEclaires]

Ghost stays. Simmonds will probably be traded this deadline. I think his contract expires this year but I could be wrong. Voracek probably not. He's getting paid big money for several years, not sure who'd make a trade for him. Not ruling it out of course, just don't think it will happen soon. I do agree the coaching staff needs a clean slate.

[@pwnedeful]

Id trade giroux,

[@BoyNamedSue4]

And another ones gone, another ones gone, another one bites the dust.

[@danielsciarra6869]

Hextall's final plan was a year away - get Lehtera off the books / Carter Hart in net... Also another great Holmgrin quote : I don't know if we are getting better but we ARE getting different.

[@jimmykimmel7650]

Wrong person got fired

[@666kingdrummer]

Gritty for GM

[@exeter1985]

Shannon, you said "Philly fans aren't patient." You need to watch a classic video of an Eagles football game, the Eagles fans were so pissed at losing and the way that the team was playing, that THEY BOOED SANTA CLAUS! Even Santa can't catch a break in Philly!

[@JT-gi8rx]

It’s not easy to get a really solid goalie, or a group of solid dmen, but the flyers have been sucking defensively for many many years, they needed to get something done to address this. Wasn’t happening year after year, so I understand the firing.

[@careyprice5368]

now he is now a pitts gm

[@nickpavone836]

Yeah it’s a shit show in philly right now, fans are not happy at all demanding change and if no changes end up happening rumor has it that season ticket holders are no longer going to renew their tickets. Can’t blame them, so much hype around this team all summer and they have been nothing but extremely disappointing.

[@RoguePie]

Discord? What discord does he speak of?

[@jadenippersiel912]

Elliot plus prospect to Anaheim for miller?

[@mpkrist5701]

I grew up watching the Flyers in South Jersey so here is my two cents. It's hard to know what kind of GM Holmgren actually was, Ed Snider was always trying to do his best Jerry Jones impression bringing in players well passed their prime but with name recognition. I don't necessarily blame him, he wanted one more winner before passing on. I was no fan of Hextall as a player but I thought he did a great job as GM. If anything, I would have fired Holmgren, promoted Hextall, but forced out Hakstol. I still have very high hopes for the drafted kids Hextall has brought in; Frost, Rubtsov, Konecny, Patrick, Hart, Sandstrom, Provorov etc. JVR, Giroux, Couturier, and Ghost all are within the age range where this could all still come together. No GM Is without mistakes. (McDonald & Goalies)

[@DarkDestroyer98]

Ron Francis is apparently one of the names the Flyers are interested in.

[@kosmicwizard]

He's too patient for Holmgren and not as good as a drafter and developer as was Hextall. So why?

[@scubbyjoe9953]

Hextall to Seattle??

[@sportsfan_91]

I really thought Hextall would be the guy to bring philly back to the promise land.. He started so well and for some reason he just refused to fire Dave Hakstol or are PK coach (bottom 5 last 4 years)

[@kenderickscott801]

Geez, can the Oilers please do the same thing with Chiarelli?

[@OerlikonNoerd]

We said fire Hakstol not Hextall

[@chrisolivo6591]

As a lifelong Flyers fan, Hextall’s plan never made sense to me as he wanted to rebuild and retool at the same time. I’d had no problem if he gutted the team in 2014 and started over while building through the draft. He could acquire assets for Giroux, Vorachek and Simmonds when their value was high. But he decided to build through the draft yet keeping the core and essentially wasting their prime. What’s the point of keeping a 100 point Giroux if your prospects won’t be NHL ready when he’s 31-32 years old? You want your young team to grow together like Pittsburgh and Chicago so they are ALL in the prime together. We’re waiting for Carter Hart while Vorachek and Giroux hit their 30’s so it was another wasted season from game one, in my opinion. The only thing I can think is Hextall thought his draft picks would be NHL ready by his 5th year as GM and they would mesh with the veteran core and make a Stanley Cup run starting this year? We’re not even close so that eventually led to his dismissal today. The team is a mess cause the new GM has the same questions Hextall faced in 2014: Do you trade Giroux, Vorachek and Simmonds and grow your young talent together?

[@waifubreaks1572]

Philly fans always boo lol. It's not just the Flyers too.

[@SteveWKk]

Hextall was like Garth Snow....

[@brendanshaw5456]

Fire Hak and bring in Joel Quenneville now!!!

[@davebadger8437]

How does Chia still have a job?

[@heliumtrophy]

It really should've been Hakstol out first but if Hextall is the start of the process then it so be it. There just seems to be absolutely zero defensive coaching going on in Philly. Something had to change and this is just the beginning.

[@warfield0008]

coach q?

[@tplcrown]

Hextall being fired is probably a proactive move by Holmgren to save his job 🧐

[@FormallyCrippled]

Hextalll out, Gritty in.

[@liamcasault8413]

Breaking news Ron hextall is fired

[@PancakesAndHammers2426]

I suppose it's the first step in the right direction. Get rid of the head coach, lose some of the coaching staff, get rid of some dead weight roster wise, and bring in some players who can help with the defence, goaltending and special teams. Way easier said and typed than done.

[@Brandon-qd2lb]

Make gritty the next gm screw it!!

[@kauaysyhdh6004]

They need to fire Paul he’s useless

[@LegionOfEclaires]

It was only a matter of time. The way this team has played so far and the lack of improvement in numerous areas and the regression in others... No surprise. We can no longer make the excuse of this being a team he inherited, no. This is his team... Hakstol should have been relieved before Hextall but in the end it doesn't really matter. Hakstol will likely not survive with his job by January... Hopefully a change in leadership can be enough to right this team's course. It would be a real shame if we have to tear everything apart and start from scratch, which honestly may be necessary soon considering our core is getting older and older...

[@pumpkinking5174]

The new GM will have a very good relationship with the new coach.......Joel Quennville

[@FlyersFan-ty4zb]

Good move. Made good moves outside the real team. But didn't do much for the actual on ice product. Can't wait for Hakstol and Lappy to leave and we can move forward

[@ryanlandry7641]

Dubas will fail to resign Nylander and will be the next GM to be fired. Maybe Leafs can hire Ron Hextall as Kyle's replacement.

[@MightyMouseFan78]

Not surprised by this move at all...this team has been in quick sand for years...the coaching staff has been subpar and the team has been wildly inconsistent in a bad way. I'm a Flyers fan who lives in the Philly area and this fan base, who can be very loyal and even patient with the organization, was simply tired of the same old, same old with this team. No excitement, no push, no urgency and no consistency. The PK kill has been pathetic for years as has the stability in net and on D. They have a lot of young talent, but have not grown them to the NHL level with any regularity and have even regressed. They've held onto players for too long and have not done enough to change over this roster and catch up to the rest of the division/league. When I see other teams in recent years like Buffalo and Toronto progressing with their young talent and making solid moves to go with those players and the Flyers just staying the same, changes had to be made and it's about time. I'd like to see some outside voices brought in with solid NHL experience. Coach Q would be a perfect fit I feel as far as future head coach. As far as the goalie situation is concerned, they have some good young ones...should have gotten rid of the veterans and started with youth in net, like Alex Lyon. Carter Hart is the future and I can understand them not bringing him up right away and allowing him to develop further in Lehigh Valley, but they should have still gone younger in net. Elliot and Neuvirth have never been able to stay healthy. All in all, I hope that the Flyers get this right. It's been too long since this franchise has had sustained success and this move was a necessary start to an overhaul that will hope to bring winning seasons to a city and fan base who loves our orange and black. Let's Go Flyers!

[@ryans413]

LA coach gone Chicago's coach gone Saint Louis coach gone Edmonton coach gone Philly's GM gone. And it's only been two months

[@dalamian]

The speculation from a lot of the beat writers and those close to the team is that ownership wanted a change behind the bench and he refused to do it. It's all unsubstantiated but it makes A LOT of sense.

[@lenkennedy9214]

The Leafs beat the Flyers so badly on saturday they had to fire Hextall. Great job, leafs. You humiliated the flyers so badly they fired their GM. This is revenge for those 2 seasons in a row the Flyers knocked the leafs out of the playoffs back in '03 and '04. Payback's a bitch, isn't it Philly. How's it taste?

[@amfpdiddy]

It's all Gritty's fault

[@jmarx3943]

How dare you...

[@dgb921]

Bro we gave him 5 years to turn this around. He said it would be better this year and they are exactly were they were last year. He did a lot of great things but he’s not the man to take us to the future. So the word in the city is Ron was very closed off. Wanted to do his way and only his way. Everyone just got sick of him

[@bsaucier1994]

Predictions of new GM?

[@PeterCPRail8748]

I wonder if Dubas and leafs can get something grand for Nylander. Like Simmons and a couple of d men out of this. *Disclaimer for the dimwitted. I am being sarcastic*

[@user-vy2fy7gf9o]

Doesn't surprise me if Homer takes over as GM again.

[@primemcmanus]

If he does, prepare for OFFER SHEETS! OFFER SHEETS EVERYWHERE! In all seriousness, Holmgren wasn't a terrible GM when he was at the helm but he did kind of lead the team to the fringe contender status they've been stuck in, had some good moves but some of the moves he made during the end of his tenure never really panned out.

[@jmarx3943]

@@primemcmanus he put the team into cap hell. Bryz, AMac, Lecavalier just to name a few. I'd NOT be ok with this.

[@ScottKatz21]

As a philly fan, why is it hextall? Why, why!?!? At least I got a picture with him last week before this happened lol

[@daledemanchuk7920]

hextall a former goalie has goalie problems...thats not good at all-is hart not good enough or was hextall protecting him from a crazy situation in philly by leaving him in the ahl? was reported 4 goalies at practice today wtf? sounds like ron was offered the same deal as chia in edm but loyality to his people forced him out....unlike that rat in edm....

[@kosmicwizard]

Dean Lombardi is the best choice for the next gm.

[@881greeny]

Flyers problem is they're stuck in the mediocre cycle of either being just good enough to make the playoffs and make no noise but not bad enough to be able to consistently pick elite talent at the top of the draft, I think they need a full rebuild.

[@881greeny]

@@zephyr9031 tbh, everyone outside of Ghost, Provy and Coots should be available for the right deal(obviously not gonna deal ALL of them) but the two you mentioned should be top priority

[@jeffkell5763]

Something needed to change the team has barely changed and the pairing of hex and hak had either missed the playoffs or lost in the first round their whole tenure together they can’t just stay a first round exit team till giroux is out of his prime

[@TheOtherShanahand]

I'm grateful for what Ron has done for the organization but I recently started to sour on him. This season has been dreadful. Things that should have been changed over the summer stayed the same. Ian Laperriere, as great a player he was, has led a bottom basement penalty kill for years now. The goal tending situation is embarrassing. This team needed a change, Ron refused and it cost him his job.