PHILADELPHIA — Less than a week after the trade deadline, the Flyers have decided to take an affirmative step in a new direction, firing Chuck Fletcher Friday. Hired on Dec. 3, 2018, Fletcher had been with the organization for over four years. Former Flyer Danny Brière will take over on an interim basis.
“The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence,” said Dave Scott, chairman of Comcast Spectacor and governor of the Flyers, in a team statement. “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.”
The Flyers, currently 24-30-11, went 141-144-43 (.495 points percentage) overall under Fletcher. They only reached the playoffs once, in the 2020 season. Three of those seasons were impacted by COVID-19, including that playoff season when the Flyers racked up a 41-21-7 record and came up one game short of reaching the conference finals.
Things quickly started to go downhill during the 2020-21 season, though, as the Flyers, who entered that season with lofty expectations, finished sixth of eight teams in their division and missed the playoffs. Last season was even worse, as the Flyers’ .372 points percentage was the second-worst in franchise season. The team also suffered through two 10-plus game losing streaks, including a franchise-record 13-game skid, while suffering a slew of injuries that resulted in over 500 man-games lost.
“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,” Scott said.
Fletcher, 55, oversaw what he forecasted as an “aggressive retool” this past offseason. He admitted it ended up being “a little tepid.” The Flyers’ biggest move was trading three draft picks for and subsequently signing defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a 2-year, $10 million deal. DeAngelo, who is minus-28 on the year, has been benched at various points this season by coach John Tortorella.
Prior to the season, Fletcher claimed that the Flyers would be “competitive.” And he maintained that sentiment through early December. Last week, prior to the trade deadline, he completely changed tune, saying the Flyers would be “sellers” and start to make moves with a look toward the long-term future of the organization.
Approaching the deadline, the organization was almost guaranteed to deal pending unrestricted free agent James van Riemsdyk, while there were also whisperings that the Flyers could potentially make a bigger move involving a player with contract term like Kevin Hayes. However, when the deadline passed, Fletcher had not traded van Riemsdyk, the bare minimum expectation, nor any of the team’s other prominent players. He claimed he hadn’t received any genuine offers for van Riemsdyk, a veteran forward with size and almost 300 goals to his name.
This was the latest in a series of failures by Fletcher as a negotiator. In recent years, he has made several risky trades in an attempt to win now that haven’t panned out, highlighted by deals for Rasmus Ristolainen, Ryan Ellis, and DeAngelo.
“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.”
Fletcher and his staff oversaw four NHL drafts during his tenure. His first pick as general manager, Cam York (No. 14 overall in 2019), was called up from the AHL on Dec. 9 and is the only Fletcher draft pick to have made a significant impact at the NHL level to this point. His most recent first-round pick, Cutter Gauthier (No. 5 overall), is currently a freshman at Boston College, where he leads his team with 37 points in 31 games.
Since Fletcher arrived, there have been five different coaches behind the bench for the Flyers, including two interim bosses. Dave Hakstol was fired two weeks after Fletcher was hired, and Scott Gordon took over as interim. Fletcher then hired Alain Vigneault on April 15, 2019. He lasted two years and eight months before being fired in Dec. 2021 amid what became a 10-game losing streak. Mike Yeo saw out the rest of the season before Tortorella was hired by Fletcher this past June.
In his 30 years as an NHL executive, Fletcher had previously served as general manager for the Minnesota Wild and in other roles for the Florida Panthers, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and New Jersey Devils. Fletcher was the Flyers’ first general manager since 1990 who was not a former player in the organization.
The 55-year-old has also served as team president alongside Valerie Camillo, the president and CEO of Spectator Sports and Entertainment, since July 2019. In the release, Scott revealed that the organization will be splitting up the general manager and president of hockey operations roles into two separate hires going forward. For now, Brière will occupy both positions.
“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,” Scott said of Brière. “He will ensure a smooth transition following Chuck’s departure and support the team and coach John Tortorella through the remainder of the season and into the offseason.”
