When looking at the broad landscape of Philadelphia sports, and at all four teams, who can you trust to lead them?
The NFL is preparing for its annual draft and a rock star named Chip Kelly continues to make noise day in and day out. But he seems to have the trust of the fan base to put together a Super Bowl contender at all costs.
The Sixers are in limbo, rebuilding, yes, but also making very little progress in terms of the current roster in a season that recently came to a close.
The Phillies…yeah, don’t ask.
And then there is Ron Hextall and the Flyers. Hextall, like Kelly, should have the trust of the fan base. He has very clearly stated his goals in both the long-term and short-term and has pulled all of the right strings in a lost season.
When he speaks, you listen. And when you listen, you get excited about the future and its potential. It’s all the more reason that Hextall can get the Flyers to the promised land.
I have said it several times during the season and in the brief time the Flyers have been sitting idle in the offseason.
When Hextall was hired, it was his pedigree – the experience in Los Angeles that led the Kings to two Stanley Cups, even if Hextall was only part of the front office for one.
During the season, it was in his management of the kids. He did not jump to get them into the NHL. He did not make any rash moves. He remained patient as the team made a desperate playoff push that really was destined to fall short.
At the trade deadline, the returns he brought the Flyers for Kimmo Timonen and Braydon Coburn were excellent.
In the early days of the offseason, he has removed the previous head coach to select his true choice for the position and continued to lay down the plan. Patience. The team is still predominately young and has even more youth coming.
It is the defining difference between Kelly and Hextall. Kelly is thinking about the future of the team as well, but also the short-term success. What Kelly does, in his mind, is going to help the team as much next season as it will in the years ahead.
Hextall is the opposite. In a season where the Flyers didn't succeed enough to make the playoffs, Hextall's goals aren't astronomical. He's not going for it all next season, but he does expect the opportunity to compete for the title.
To me, there is a lot to be said about the passion and energy that a general manager has. He’s confident in his own moves, doesn’t question himself and stays focused when pressed to give answers, such as the way Hextall continues to stress the importance of keeping the future bright over risking it all for one chance at a Stanley Cup.
That’s what makes Hextall so right for the job. He’s focused on the task at hand. What he’s facing this offseason is not easy. But he’s also got a plethora of draft picks to work with and a chance to address some team needs in free agency at an affordable cost.
However he must do it, one thing remains clear, the future of the franchise will not be risked to improve for one season. Each move Hextall makes has something to do with the long-term future.
It starts with the Flyers coaching search, but soon it will be about improving the team on the ice. Hextall’s pulled all the right strings in his first season as GM. There’s no reason to think he won’t do the same in the weeks ahead.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
