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Ron Hextall

Hockey Canada Names World Championship Management

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We already know that New York Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury will be leading USA Hockey’s preparation for the upcoming World Championships, but now Hockey Canada has announced their own management group. Buffalo Sabres GM Jason Botterill will join two recently fired men, Ron Hextall and Ron Francis as the management team tasked with putting together the roster for the tournament, which begins in May.

It won’t be the first time the name Botterill is seen at the World Championships, as sister Jennifer Botterill medaled eight times at the women’s tournament during her outstanding playing career. The Sabres GM will try to bring another gold back to Canada after the team failed to even win a medal last season. He’ll have a huge number of stars to pick from, as some of the best Canadian players look like they’ll be out of the NHL playoffs this season.

That all starts with Connor McDavid, who captained the team last year and has participated twice already in his young career. Teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is also a candidate to return, and other names like Drew Doughty, Jonathan Toews and Claude Giroux will also likely be asked to attend.

Teams Showing Interest In Former Philadelphia GM Ron Hextall

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It’s now been nearly a month since Ron Hextall was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, replaced as GM by Chuck Fletcher after a poor start. The Flyers expected to be in the playoff hunt this season, but were 10-11-2 when Hextall was relieved of his duties. Not surprisingly, there has been some interest from around the league according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet, who reports that a few teams have “reached out” about the former goaltender’s availability. Friedman notes that the teams may not be looking at Hextall as GM, but to join their team in some capacity.

That shouldn’t surprise anyone, given Hextall’s successful post-playing career as a front office executive. Starting with the Flyers as a scout, he ended up as an assistant GM with the Los Angeles Kings when the team won their 2012 Stanley Cup and had only just left to return to Philadelphia when they won again in 2014. Twice he was also part of the Canadian World Championship management group, taking home a silver medal as GM in 2017. There are plenty of organizations who could use that kind of experience, and there are plenty of other benefits.

As Friedman writes in his latest 31 Thoughts, under Hextall the Flyers were a tightly run ship that very rarely leaked information. He was also notoriously patient with his development plan, to the point where some have wondered whether that is what got him fired this season. Hextall had long-term goals for the Flyers, and certainly had built up quite the prospect pool.

Any team that wants to hire Hextall would have to go through the Flyers, and it’s not clear that they would allow him to change organizations mid-season. We’ve seen front office members have to wait before, like former Toronto Maple Leafs AGM Mark Hunter who was relieved of his duties but kept under contract through the draft. Still, it doesn’t seem like it will take too long before we see Hextall back in an NHL front office somewhere.

Snapshots: Nylander, Hextall, Pilut

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Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock did nothing to curb his outspoken nature when asked about William Nylander again today, telling reporters including Jonas Siegel of The Athletic that he still believes that the young forward will be on the team but the organization won’t beg him to return. Meanwhile, Frank Seravalli of TSN tweeted this morning that the Philadelphia Flyers had been in touch with Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas in his recent “last call” for trade offers. TSN broadcaster Gord Miller also heard that from a source in Philadelphia, and detailed what those talks were about:

This was the previous regime that was contacted by the Leafs on the weekend, and the Leafs asked for—they wanted to tap into the Flyers’ young D. Right away the Flyers said “Ivan Provorov? Not touchable.” So Provorov, who scored 17 goals last year is not on the table. Now again, this is the old regime. So the focus turned to Shayne Gostisbehere.

When Miller references the “old regime” he is speaking about former Flyers GM Ron Hextall, who was let go this week along with assistant GM Chris Pryor. The conversation regarding a fit between the Flyers and Nylander continues, but is highly speculative at that point especially given the changes in the Philadelphia front office since this apparent negotiation happened. Still, it only lends credence to the idea that Dubas and the Maple Leafs have been doing their due diligence in preparation for the deadline tomorrow, when there will finally (hopefully) be a conclusion one way or the other regarding Nylander.

  • Speaking of Hextall’s recent firing, the former Philadelphia GM spoke with the media today and expressed his shock at the entire situation. Hextall did not see his dismissal coming, and was “stunned” when team president Paul Holmgren delivered the news. Hextall is of course a legend in Philadelphia from his playing days, including being one of the rare players to ever win a Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP despite losing in the Stanley Cup Finals. Still, his tenure as GM had not yet resulted in any deep playoff success and upper management had grown tired of waiting.
  • With all eyes still on the Buffalo Sabres as they continue their fight for the Atlantic Division crown just a year after finishing last in the NHL, a new face will be scrutinized under the lights. Lawrence Pilut will make his NHL debut according to Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News, despite the recent recall of Matt Tennyson. That gives Buffalo fans another highly anticipated Swedish defenseman to watch, and one that brings plenty of offensive upside. Pilut had 22 points in 16 games for the Rochester Americans before his call-up, and is still just 22 years old.

Steve Greeley Latest To Be Linked To Flyers GM Search

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Paul Holmgren and the Philadelphia Flyers are underway on their search for a new GM after the team fired Ron Hextall yesterday, and early indications were that Chuck Fletcher and Ron Francis were on the list of candidates for the job. Add Steve Greeley to that list, as Frank Seravalli of TSN reports that the Buffalo Sabres assistant GM is on the Flyers’ radar. The team has not reached out to the Sabres for permission to talk to him, but it’s easy to see why they would be interested.

Greeley, 38, is a former minor pro player who spent several years with the Los Angeles Kings as a scout under then-GM Dean Lombardi, who happens to now be a senior advisor with the Flyers. He then joined David Quinn’s staff at Boston University as associate head coach, before moving to the New York Rangers’ player personnel department. Jason Botterill hired him after taking over in Buffalo, but it was easy to see that Greeley was on the fast track to run a team of his own one day. Whether that happens in Philadelphia is still obviously undecided.

At a press conference today to explain the Hextall firing, Holmgren explained that while the organization is still in a fine position going forward the upper management felt that a new voice was needed to take them “to the next level.” One has to wonder whether that will be someone without any experience in the GM role like Greeley, or a more veteran name like Fletcher or Francis. For what it’s worth, neither of those two could ever get their franchises—Minnesota and Carolina respectively—to that next level when in the GM position.

Reactions To Ron Hextall’s Firing In Philadelphia

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Ron Hextall being let go as General Manager of the Flyers earlier on Monday came as a shock to many.  While some expected some changes to be made, relieving a GM midseason isn’t something that happens too frequently; the last one occurred in 2013 when Columbus relieved Scott Howson of his duties.  Instead, usually the head coach takes the fall or a substantial trade is made to shake up the core but that isn’t happening here, at least for now.  There has been plenty of mixed reaction to this around the hockey world today, some of which are highlighted below.

  • Kevin Allen of USA Today suggests that Hextall’s inability to find a long-term solution between the pipes was his biggest failing as GM. While there is certainly optimism surrounding Carter Hart, he may still be a couple of years away from being ready to make an NHL impact after a slow start in the minors.  Rather than change things up this summer, he opted to stay with veterans Brian Elliott and Michal Neuvirth and the two have helped lead Philadelphia to a league-worst save percentage.  (Both happen to be injured at the moment as well.)
  • Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News believes that while a change needed to be made, this wasn’t it. He notes that Hextall had finally alleviated their long-time salary cap concerns and had positioned themselves to make a trade of significance in the days to come.  He also speculates that a new GM could come in and clean house behind the bench which could create another potential landing spot for former Chicago bench boss Joel Quenneville.
  • Mike Sielski, also of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News, opines that Philadelphia’s playoff berths in 2016 and 2018 were ultimately counterproductive as Hextall was still in the process of reshaping and building up their infrastructure. However, the fact that they made the postseason created a level of urgency and impatience which goes against Hextall’s patient approach.
  • TSN’s Frank Seravalli notes (video link) that in Hextall’s tenure as GM, there wasn’t a single trade made to significantly bolster their talent level – they were filling holes, clearing cap space, or building for the future. As a result, his legacy will ultimately be complicated – while the team is better positioned for the long-term now compared to when he took over, his teams will largely be remembered for their mediocrity and inability to live up to expectations.

Philadelphia Flyers Fire Ron Hextall

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The Philadelphia Flyers’ season has not gone according to plan, and now someone has been forced to pay the price. The team announced today that they have fired General Manager Ron Hextall, and will begin a search immediately for his replacement. Team president Paul Holmgren will be leading that search, and released this statement about the decision to fire Hextall:

The Flyers organization has decided to relieve Ron Hextall of his duties as Executive Vice President and General Manager. We thank Ron for his many significant contributions, but it has become clear that we no longer share the same philosophical approach concerning the direction of the team. In light of these differences, we feel it’s in the organization’s best interests to make a change, effective immediately. I have already begun a process to identify and select our next General Manager, which we hope to complete as soon as possible.

Not very often in the NHL do you see a GM fired before his coach, which led to plenty of speculation around the hockey world that Hextall had either refused to fire Dave Hakstol or wanted to and was not allowed by upper management. It’s not clear yet how the whole situation played out, but there were obvious differences of opinion in the front office on where the team should be and how to get there. The Flyers were recently demolished by the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-0 but notably took zero penalties in the entire match. When paired with the crumbling powerplay and penalty kill of the Flyers, those even-strength struggles likely accelerated this decision, especially given the lofty expectations of the Flyers this season.

After showing well last year and taking the Pittsburgh Penguins to game six in the first round, the Flyers were hopeful that they would take another step forward and challenge for the Metropolitan Division title. Instead, they now sit seventh in the division at 10-11-2 and are in danger of falling too far behind the playoff pack entirely. With that in mind, it doesn’t come as a total surprise that they would make a big change.

Darren Dreger of TSN tweets that former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher and former Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis are early candidates to take over in Philadelphia. Both were recently pushed out of their respective situations but are well respected around the league.

Brian Elliott Out Two Weeks With Lower-Body Injury

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When the Philadelphia Flyers recalled Alex Lyon from the AHL this morning, it was an indication that every was not alright with starter Brian Elliott. Elliott left the Flyers’ game against the New Jersey Devils last night after appearing to overextend himself going post-to-post in the third period. Elliott was then absent from practice today. While the exact ailment remains unclear, the team announced after practice that he suffered a lower-body injury and will be out approximately two weeks.

Neither Elliott nor the Flyers are strangers to injury. Elliott, 33, has missed more than 50 games due to injury in his NHL career, including 29 games last season alone. In his second year in Philadelphia, injuries have been a reoccurring issue for Elliott, particularly of the lower-body variety. Between Elliott missing time and Anthony Stolarz missing the whole 2017-18 season, Philadelphia was forced to lean on backup Michal Neuvirth, the rookie Lyon, and trade acquisition Petr Mrazek. A season later, only the names and roles have changed. This year it has been Neuvirth limited to just one game due to injury, Lyon hampered with injuries early on, and now another absence from Elliott, while preseason waiver pickup Calvin Pickard has had to stand in as the backup and now starter. With Stolarz and promising rookie Carter Hart also available, the Flyers continue to be saved by their depth these past two seasons, but would enjoy a stretch of health from their starter and primary backup at some point this season.

Through 14 appearances this season, Elliot is 6-7-0 with a .911 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average and he has improved as the season has worn on. His numbers are solid, but look incredible compared to the paltry performance of Pickard thus far. Pickard will have to step up over the next two weeks or more if the Flyers are to survive this stretch, or else Lyon will have to have another miraculous run like last season. Flyers beat writer Bill Meltzer also reports that Neuvirth skated yesterday and may potentially be able to return while Elliott remains sidelined. Whoever is able to take the reins in net in Philadelphia could be one of the team’s heroes this season. With a .500 record thus far, two weeks of poor goalie play could sink the team as they approach the one-third mark of the season.

Andrew MacDonald Out Six Weeks After Off-Season Injury

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The regular season is a month away and training camps have not even opened up yet, but the Philadelphia Flyers have already suffered a major loss. The team announced this morning that defenseman Andrew MacDonald has suffered a lower-body injury and will be out for an estimated six weeks. MacDonald reportedly suffered the injury during a workout away from the team, according to GM Ron Hextall. 

MacDonald, 32, is in his sixth season with the Flyers and his eleventh overall. The veteran defenseman has had ups and downs in his career, but provides experience and leadership on the young Philly blue line. An alternate captain for the team and the oldest skater on the roster, MacDonald’s loss, especially at the start of the season, could be a blow to the Philadelphia locker room. With a six week window for recovery, MacDonald is sure to miss all of camp and the preseason and will likely miss the first two weeks or more of the regular season.

In his absence, the Flyers will need to lean more on their young defensive core. Shayne Gostisbehere, Ivan Provorov, and Robert Hagg have established themselves as the next wave of top defenders for Philadelphia and were primed to take ice time and responsibility from MacDonald this season regardless. Now they will especially be thrust into more responsibility, as will veteran Radko Gudas. Travis Sanheim and Christian Folin will now begin the season with guaranteed starting jobs now that MacDonald is out, giving the Flyers a rounded out top six. With Samuel Morin sidelined for at least a few more months with an ACL injury, one big question now is who begins the season as the Flyers’ extra defender until MacDonald can return.

Wayne Simmonds, Philadelphia Flyers Have Had “Preliminary” Extension Talks

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Extension updates are coming out like wildfire from the BioSteel training camp in Toronto, and John Matisz of theScore gives us the latest regarding Philadelphia Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds. Simmonds told Matisz that he’s had preliminary talks with the Flyers about an extension, but wants to prove that when healthy he can still be the dominant offensive presence he was two years ago.

Simmonds, 30, is heading into the final year of his current contract with much to prove after an injury plagued 2017-18. Even though he still recorded 24 goals and 46 points, it was a significant drop off from his consecutive 30+ goal campaigns in previous years and 60-point output in 2015-16. Simmonds was obviously limited by injuries for much of the year, which also reduced his willingness to engage physically at times leading to his lowest hit total (129) in a full season since 2010-11, and the lowest fight total (3) of his career.

While there was still obviously plenty to like about Simmonds game, there is now some question about how he’ll hold up over a long-term contract given his style of play and age. The Flyers were clear that they had interest in signing the power forward to an extension when GM Ron Hextall spoke about it at the NHL Entry Draft, but few reports have come out about any negotiations since. Simmonds has been one of the game’s biggest bargains on his current six-year $23.8MM contract that he signed in 2012, but is likely looking for a substantial raise from the $3.975MM cap hit he’ll carry this season.

The Impact On The NHL Of The U.S. Supreme Court Decision On Legalized Gambling

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In perhaps the most influential decision regarding sports in recent memory, the U.S. Supreme Court today held that prohibiting the states from deciding for themselves on whether or not to legalize sports gambling was an unconstitutional practice. Until now, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) had limited legalized sports betting to just four grandfathered states – Delaware, Montana, Oregon, and of course Nevada – under a federal ban. However, the decision in Murphy v. NCAA now empowers each state to move forward with sports gambling legislation if they so choose. It is a monumental shift in the spectator sports paradigm and not a decision that came easily. As Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann writes, the Supreme Court was split 7-2 in the decision and even in the majority opinion Justice Samuel Alito states that this the issue of sports gambling is and will continue to be a topic that is up to the individual to decide on and the Supreme Court’s decision does not condone gambling, so much as it acknowledges the states’ rights to allow it. It was the court’s belief that the U.S. Constitution gave the federal government no specific power in this area and that PAPSA operated to command the state governments on how they must function, also known as commandeering, which is not allowed.

So what impact will this decision have on the NHL? The NHL, as well as the other three major North American sports leagues and even the Department of Justice, joined the NCAA in this case against the state of New Jersey. All of these parties are likely reeling after this decision, which had previously been found in their favor at both the district court and appeals court levels. The main argument in defense of PAPSA is to protect the integrity of sport based on the belief that an increased access to sports gambling could hurt the product or at least its image due to corruption. However, the other side of that specific argument is that legalized gambling – controlled, safeguarded, and monitored by the states – may actually serve to remove many illegal, behind-the-scenes gambling influences.

The leagues also stand to benefit substantially from “integrity fees”, writes McCann in a second piece. Practicing some gambling of their own, the leagues hedged their bet on the result of the case by developing the plan to demand fees from betting operations for the use of their product and information. These fees would help to make up for the risk the league’s feel is associated with an increase in gambling. While McCann opines that some operations and even some states are likely to fight these fees, the legislative process to get legalized gambling up and running in each state will be arduous enough that the fees will likely be paid to avoid yet another roadblock. These fees will then need to be incorporated into each league’s revenue-sharing scheme to divvy up the proceeds between owners and players alike.

So, while Philadelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall believes that today’s decision will not affect NHL players, per beat writer Sam Carchidi, it seems likely that the rise of legalized gambling will actually serve to benefit the players. Where Hextall is correct is that it is unlikely to have much of an effect on the integrity of the game or how players handle themselves due to the aforementioned shift of gambling from out of the shadows and into a controlled environment. Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, who also owns the NBA’s Washington Wizards, said something to the same effect, as Carchidi writes that Leonsis feels legalized gambling ensures “integrity can be guaranteed and consumers can be better protected.” Leonsis adds that the decision will “change the face of sports fandom for the better” and “bring fans closer to the game”. The increase in revenue from “integrity fees” and an increase in attention paid to hockey by gambling accessibility appears primed to actually benefit players and teams alike, despite the league’s stance in opposition.

For their part, the NHL has stated that “the Supreme Court’s decision today paves the way to an entirely different landscape – one in which we have not previously operated. We will review our current practices and policies and decide whether adjustments are needed… (there will be) no immediate impact on existing league rules relating to sports wagering, and particularly, wagering involving NHL games.” The league will have to be flexible in dealing with the rise of sports gambling, especially in each of the 16 states that house NHL teams and do not already have sports betting laws in place (all except Nevada (VGK) and New Jersey (NJD)), but it seems that in all likelihood this decision could be good for the league. As Justice Alito wrote in the decision, gambling is at its essence a personal decision and opinions vary greatly, but a controlled, legalized gambling system is on its way in the U.S. states and the NHL appears to be a potential beneficiary.

 

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