Does This Bother Anyone Else?

[Poconono]

I'm on board with 90% of the stuff Hextall has been doing.  For the first time in forever the future actually looks bright,; although the present is kind of...blah.  Until Hexy can dump some of the detritus. As one of the oldest codgers on this board I proudly can boast that I've been following the Flyers from Day One.  And can still vividly remember the joy of learning that Philadelphia was finally get its own hockey team after years of being forced to watch Rangers hockey on Channel 9 from NYC.

 

Maybe I'm just overreacting or am a closet revolutionary, but I find the info on this website rather disturbing:

 

  http://flyers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=36258

 

Count how many ex-Flyers and family members are still on the Front Office staff.  Maybe Hextall can't tick off the old man by jettisoning the Snider Fan Club, but an introduction of some new blood seems long overdue.  We are constantly being told that all these recent draft picks are blue chippers and that the future of the blue line looks rock solid, but this is the same bunch of scouts and "consultants" that have been feeding the same BS to us for the past few decades.  I'm happy to read that other talent evaluators outside the organization like what Hextall's building. but I don't see the same level of enthusiasm in their scouting reports. I haven't found a publication that ranks the Flyers prospects in the top ten of the league. 

 

I was really hoping and expecting the Hextall administration to revamp the entire organization.  He hasn't...yet.  I'm hoping that will come sometime in my lifetime.  The Blackhawks were a joke of an organization for decades until old man Wirtz died and some new blood took over.  The same with the Red Wings.  Change is good.

 

 

 

 

[FD19372]

I'm on board with 90% of the stuff Hextall has been doing.  For the first time in forever the future actually looks bright,; although the present is kind of...blah.  Until Hexy can dump some of the detritus. As one of the oldest codgers on this board I proudly can boast that I've been following the Flyers from Day One.  And can still vividly remember the joy of learning that Philadelphia was finally get its own hockey team after years of being forced to watch Rangers hockey on Channel 9 from NYC.

 

Maybe I'm just overreacting or am a closet revolutionary, but I find the info on this website rather disturbing:

 

  http://flyers.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=36258

 

Count how many ex-Flyers and family members are still on the Front Office staff.  Maybe Hextall can't tick off the old man by jettisoning the Snider Fan Club, but an introduction of some new blood seems long overdue.  We are constantly being told that all these recent draft picks are blue chippers and that the future of the blue line looks rock solid, but this is the same bunch of scouts and "consultants" that have been feeding the same BS to us for the past few decades.  I'm happy to read that other talent evaluators outside the organization like what Hextall's building. but I don't see the same level of enthusiasm in their scouting reports. I haven't found a publication that ranks the Flyers prospects in the top ten of the league. 

 

I was really hoping and expecting the Hextall administration to revamp the entire organization.  He hasn't...yet.  I'm hoping that will come sometime in my lifetime.  The Blackhawks were a joke of an organization for decades until old man Wirtz died and some new blood took over.  The same with the Red Wings.  Change is good.

Great post, Poconono. As long as the Grand Ol' Nepotist owns the team, any changes will be slow. My fear is that he will give the team to his son Jay or someone else who runs the team with the same allegiance to former Flyers who are overqualified. I think that Hextall has the potential to be the first one who is truly great at his job, however.

[mojo1917]

We are constantly being told that all these recent draft picks are blue chippers and that the future of the blue line looks rock solid, but this is the same bunch of scouts and "consultants" that have been feeding the same BS to us for the past few decades.  I'm happy to read that other talent evaluators outside the organization like what Hextall's building. but I don't see the same level of enthusiasm in their scouting reports. I haven't found a publication that ranks the Flyers prospects in the top ten of the league.

 

the only place where i feel the scouting department has not been very good is with goaltending.

 

I think overall the scouts have done a very good job of finding good players, especially since historically the Flyers pick in the 20's. 

 

Now what happens after they're picked is something that maybe should be discussed, the issue with the Flyers and their prospects is they are traditionally rushed into NHL service before they're ready and as a result they never pan out until they leave the organization.  This may be why the prospects aren't ranked as highly by hockey's future et al.  I think the organ I zation ****s 'em up. 

[FD19372]

the only place where i feel the scouting department has not been very good is with goaltending.

 

I think overall the scouts have done a very good job of finding good players, especially since historically the Flyers pick in the 20's. 

 

Now what happens after they're picked is something that maybe should be discussed, the issue with the Flyers and their prospects is they are traditionally rushed into NHL service before they're ready and as a result they never pan out until they leave the organization.  This may be why the prospects aren't ranked as highly by hockey's future et al.  I think the organ I zation ****s 'em up. 

...and the ones the organ I zation doesn't **** up, it trades away.

[King Knut]

the only place where i feel the scouting department has not been very good is with goaltending.

I think overall the scouts have done a very good job of finding good players, especially since historically the Flyers pick in the 20's.

Now what happens after they're picked is something that maybe should be discussed, the issue with the Flyers and their prospects is they are traditionally rushed into NHL service before they're ready and as a result they never pan out until they leave the organization. This may be why the prospects aren't ranked as highly by hockey's future et al. I think the organ I zation ****s 'em up.

I totally agree with you but I don't think it necessarily has to do with "rushing" them.

I don't think the organization and its "win now at all costs" philosophy has had much of an eye toward development at all.

Did they bring up JVR too soon or did they just not keep him around long enough or work with/coach him while he was here? What about Sharp? Seidenberg? Eaton? Pitkanen? Rusty? Williams? These are all guys who have proven themselves valuable to other teams.

So many of those guys were just misused by their flyers coaches in the name of winning now and their development seemed to stop when they got on the club. And if they couldn't get done what Hitch or Lavvy or Stevens or whoever needed, Clarke or Homer dished them for an oaf on skates ten ears past his prime. Seems so odd to me.

Richie and Carter worked out and worked out after they for traded too... Except for the drugs thing. --Still can't wait for all that dirty laundry to get aired. Those trades got us actual prospects for once. Have we actually continued to develop them though? I really don't know. jake certainly has grown, but he spent the requisite ramp up time in Columbus only to blossom fully with us (we got the curse reversed on that one). coots and simmer have been great, but are they growing as players? Kinda. I still feel like they're both on the verge of something great three years later and I'm waiting for it to happen.

Of course now we're waiting out B Schenn who I know we didn't draft, but still. We had the chance to develop him and really haven't done much with what he brought. We sort of expect him to do it in his own apparently.

I think the coach seems to have a lot to do with it. Stevens seemed very good at continuing to develop youth just look at Eichie and Carts and the initial seasons with Giroux. Lavvy, meh. Not bad, but not great. chief... Not super either. Jake grew, but everyone else seems to have frozen or regressed.

I guess what I'm saying is that just because a guy does well after he leaves, that doesn't mean the flyers rushed him into the league. I just think paRt of the problem is that we as fans (and possibly the organization too) seem to think getting a spot on the Flyers means you must be a finished product and coaches and staff don't need to work with you in your game. That's ludicrous to me. You should be able to play at an NHL level and still expect to be able to improve and have the support of your team in doing so. Should stay that way throughout your career (cough cough. Vinny).

[AlaskaFlyerFan]

Meh.  I think if you look at just about any team you'll find the same thing.  The Flyers have always had the reputation of taking care of players and former players so this doesn't bother me.