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Now that the Flyers have formally started their version of “The Process”—or, if you take general manager Chuck Fletcher at his word—it seemed fitting to get in touch with the man who made the term and idea popular to see if he could offer any guidance.
Sam Hinkie wrote in a text message the other day, “You know me.” “I don’t want to garner media attention.”
That’s so much for it. The local joker and pro basketball’s savior, Hinkie, the former general manager of the 76ers, remained silent about the Flyers and their purported rebuilding.
Here, the word “apparent” is necessary because one never knows when the Flyers will suddenly abandon their rebuilding efforts in favor of a more aggressive retooling strategy, giving up three draft picks for Tony DeAngelo or failing to secure any draft picks for James van Riemsdyk, an unrestricted free agent. It’s also required because Fletcher avoided using the word rebuild in his remarks to reporters on Tuesday, calling it “terminology.”
I apologize, but this is not just semantics. Fletcher’s silence clearly indicates that the Flyers are still approaching the task at hand with a lipstick-on-a-sow mentality.
It’s important to use the word rebuild, which is why many fans were incensed when Fletcher described the Flyers as the “fifth-most-improved team” in the NHL this season.
Individuals prefer not to feel duped, and the Flyers are sending out the message that they are unaware of how tough and protracted the road back will be by avoiding using the honest, hard language that characterizes the team’s current situation. Whatever you think of Hinkie and “The Process,” the best thing he did was state the obvious: this is what we’re doing, and this is why. It may not be to your taste. It might not be successful. At least we know what our means and objectives are.
There is legitimate skepticism about the Flyers’ competence because, at the very least, they continue to hedge. Why would anyone think they could implement a plan to improve if they are unable to articulate it clearly? or that they even possess a strategy?
The role of a coach in John Tortorella’s messaging Fletcher has struggled with directness, whereas the former has not. He recently acknowledged on Thursday that the Flyers were willing to trade Kevin Hayes by the deadline on Friday afternoon.
He also provided an honest and brutal evaluation of the team in an interview with 97.5 The Fanatic, both prior to and following his appointment as head coach in June of last year.
“I believe that a lot of entitlement was present in our locker room, and to be really honest, you didn’t deserve it. That stature wasn’t yours,” he remarked. “I simply believe that there’s an entitlement mentality among those who have been there for a long time—players, staff, everything.
“Listen, in terms of respect, we’re pretty much nonexistent in the National Hockey League. We must gain the respect of the league by sticking together, involving the appropriate people in this, conducting ourselves ethically, and realizing that no one is more important than anybody else—players, staff, personnel, or whatever—regardless of length of service. That is a portion of the material that we are attempting to sort through.
Because of Tortorella’s public persona and assertiveness (he is, after all, the man with the Stanley Cup ring), the entire organization is in a precarious position.
As much as Fletcher and chairman Dave Scott have resisted acknowledging the same thing, whether on purpose or not, Tortorella has been pushing the Flyers to admit what they have been unwilling to admit: that any real, long-lasting improvement they might make won’t happen overnight.
or longer than a month. or during the following year or two. He has served as their main spokesperson, which is acceptable for the time being because Fletcher is still the general manager and the team’s supporters are so fed up with and weary of Fletcher that they will undoubtedly appreciate Tortorella’s distinct candor.
However, it’s possible—even likely—that Fletcher won’t be the general manager come the offseason. What will happen to the whole dynamic of “Torts being the franchise face and truth teller” once he leaves, assuming he does? Will that be the new general manager’s responsibility? And how many and what kind of general manager candidates would be open to coming to the Flyers, especially considering the perceived influence Tortorella has garnered within the organization and among Flyers supporters in such a short period of time?
A “new strategy?”
These are questions that need to be answered due to the continuing presence of several elderly franchise icons in addition to Tortorella.
It has been almost a decade since Ed Snider said, “We don’t need a fresh approach.” However, the Flyers are arguably at their lowest point in their 56-year existence. They haven’t improved since Snider’s angry outburst, haven’t learned how to succeed in a salary-cap league, and were just pushed out of the Wells Fargo Center by a hostile crowd of thousands of New York Rangers supporters on Wednesday night.
Bill Barber is Scott’s senior adviser and the person he talks to about a lot of hockey-related issues. He was an NHL head coach for less than two full seasons and has no experience building teams. Paul Holmgre and Bob Clarke
