It's no surprise that the Flyers are in for a longer offseason than usual. What was inevitable became official on Saturday, following the Flyers' 3-1 loss to Ottawa.
Ron Hextall has plenty of work to do this summer, between 10 picks in the draft, figuring out how to re-tool the roster and much more. Several albatross contracts — Paul Holmgren Specials, if you will — will leave him handcuffed, without a wide variety of options.
But the Flyers aren't the only team that requires Hextall's attention. Sixty-seven miles up the road in Allentown, their American League affiliate will need some work as well.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms' much-ballyhooed first season in Allentown will come to an end this week, as the team will miss the Calder Cup playoffs for the sixth-consecutive season. Their record currently sits at 32-32-7-1, and 11th place in the Eastern Conference — well short of an early third-place forecast at the beginning of the season. As legendary Irish rockers Thin Lizzy once sang, "things ain't working out down at the farm."
It's not that the Phantoms have experienced a total lack of production. Nick Cousins and Jason Akeson have enjoyed 20-goal and 50-point seasons to lead the team, Scott Laughton has had the chance to develop in his first pro season, Robert Hagg has had a full season to hone his game on North American ice, Zack Stortini set career-highs (12 goals and 25 points — not too shabby for a goon!) and cagey Rob Zepp has had the chance to mentor the rookie Anthony Stolarz in goal.
The biggest help for the Phantoms would be to part ways with coach Terry Murray, who began his stint with the team in the 2012-13 season (his first job since his mid-season firing in Los Angeles' championship 2011-12 season). Since Murray's tenure in Glens Falls/Allentown began, the Phantoms are 92-98-12-11, haven't finished with a winning record and haven't placed higher than third in their respective divisions.
To Murray's credit, he hasn't had the benefit of a steady roster during his three years behind the Phantoms' bench. But when you consider the high amount of roster turnover at the AHL level, it doesn't entirely make up for his deficiencies during that time.
With the Phantoms set to play host to promising up-and-comers in the Flyers' prospect pipeline, it's easy to conclude that a fresh perspective behind the bench would help lift them out of the AHL's doldrums, while also building and instilling confidence in these prospects. Who would get confident by finishing with consistent losing records and missed playoff spots every year?
Making some tweaks for the Phantoms may not seem too necessary, but they'll help the organization in coming seasons. Remember that one of the main focuses of the league is to groom and develop the NHLers of tomorrow. One of the best recent examples of a team with emphasis on the AHL level is the Detroit Red Wings, who have a reputation for stockpiling key players (think Gustav Nyquist, Jakub Kindl and Jimmy Howard, among others) with the Grand Rapids Griffins for as many seasons as necessary.
By no means is it news that Hextall has plenty of work to do in order to bring his plan for the Orange and Black to life. Some of that work will have to be utilized for the team's AHL affiliate. Even if they're not the highest priority on the to-do list, those changes are still necessary.
Many have called for a coaching change behind the Flyers' bench, to help the team build as a future Eastern Conference threat. While that would help, changing hands in the Lehigh Valley would prove beneficial as well.
Follow Rob Riches on Twitter @Riches61
