Sean Couturier
Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher held his end-of-season availability on Tuesday, first confirming that Mike Yeo would not be returning as head coach of the team. He also discussed the meaning of an “aggressive retool,” how youth factors into the future, and some injury updates.
The final 15 games for the Flyers will serve as a chance to evaluate. They will provide a look at some new faces entering the lineup in the last couple of weeks and maybe even a new face or two to come down the road. It is a way to take inventory going into the offseason – what does the team already have and what does it need even more of on the roster moving forward?
In the end, Giroux ultimately held the keys to his destination. Florida was where he wanted to be. That left the Flyers limited in what they could get in return. If nothing else, the return in the Giroux deal is more of a reality of what the state of the Flyers is and remains after this trade, and the result of years of shortcomings by the organization.
Claude Giroux has appeared in every game since Jan. 13 and will take the ice for his 1,000th game in the NHL and in a Flyers uniform on Thursday night against the Nashville Predators. Prior to the game, the Flyers will hold a ceremony to honor Giroux’s milestone.
The Flyers extension of Rasmus Ristolainen makes for a confusing message and sense of direction, just as the trade deadline starts to approach and a time to set the foundation for change draws near.
At this stage of the Flyers season, now 55 games in with 27 still to go, the results are essentially meaningless. It’s not about wins and losses at this point. Despite that, when a head coach addresses playing with passion, accountability, and having a winning attitude as areas of concern, it raises eyebrows. He’s not the first to do it either.
GM Chuck Fletcher met with the media on Friday morning in the wake of an announcement that Sean Couturier had undergone back surgery that morning and would be out for the remainder of the season. Fletcher also provided more insight to the uncertain returns of both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes in the 2021-22 season.
One day after officially being named a special assistant to the general manager, Danny Briere met with the media on Wednesday morning to discuss the new role and how he factors into those plans.
Wednesday’s Flyers press conference with Dave Scott and Chuck Fletcher was another example of just how far the Flyers are from an identity and a sense of direction. It presents more questions than answers, and it runs through a range of emotions that rival the five stages of grief – some congruent like anger and denial and others like irrationality and delusion.
For the third time in eight days, the Flyers and New York Islanders face off. It was be the second time on Long Island. For the Flyers, a loss will be their 13th straight, setting a new franchise record for the longest winless streak.
