Sad news: The Philadelphia flyers have just Fired one of their best player
On November 4, in Pittsburgh, during the first period of the Flyers’ game against the Penguins, head coach Alain Vigneault of the Philadelphia Flyers is positioned behind his bench.
PUSKAR, Genene J./Associated Press
In an attempt to snap a nearly 47-year Stanley Cup drought, the Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach Alain Vigneault on Monday as the team was heading into its worst losing run as a franchise. They will now look for a new coach.
This season, the Flyers have been among the NHL’s biggest busts. Vigneault’s fate was sealed on Sunday, when they lost 7-1 to Tampa Bay. Michel Therrien, the assistant coach, was also fired.
Chuck Fletcher, general manager of Philadelphia, stated, “Right now, we’ve lost our way.”
The Flyers, who fell short of matching a questionable team record with their ninth straight loss on Monday night, fell to Colorado 7–5, following the announcement of Mike Yeo’s interim coaching position.
The Flyers are currently 7th in the Metropolitan Division, with a record of 8-11-4. With the Flyers, Vigneault finished 74-54-19 and was not in the postseason the previous year.
Fletcher attempted to attribute the team’s recent losing streak to injuries sustained last week, but as the defeats mounted, it was obvious that something had to happen.
In the final ten, we regressed. Without a doubt,” he declared last week. It is now our group’s responsibility to retrieve it. It is easier when players who have been injured return. We are not deceived. We must improve.
After spending more than two seasons in Philadelphia, Vigneault never managed to steer the Flyers in the right direction this season. In the NHL’s restart bubble, he led the team to the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference during his first season there.
“I have to find a way to get this group to play better because I am the one who is the leader of this group, and I have both hands on the steering wheel,” he declared on Sunday. “We have to stop now as we are in a terrible skid. Tomorrow night is our chance, and hopefully we’ll perform better.
Vigneault was attempting to repeat his Stanley Cup Final victories with the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks in Philadelphia, where the Flyers haven’t won the championship since winning back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975.
Rather, the Flyers are attempting to avoid losing ten games in a row for the first time since the 2018–19 campaign.
Before Monday’s game, captain Claude Giroux stated, “Last night was a good example that our game wasn’t good enough, and getting embarrassed in your own building is not acceptable.”
Since making his Flyers debut in 2007, Giroux has spent his entire career with the team. He has served as an offensive leader for the team under coaches John Stevens, Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol, Scott Gordon, Vigneault, and Yeo.
The 33-year-old center may waive his no-movement clause and request a trade to a contending team as he enters the final season of an eight-year, $66 million contract.
“As of right now, you can see that our group lacks a distinct identity,” Giroux remarked. “After we concede a goal, we kind of give up on the game. We must rediscover our confidence in this group. We have to think that we just need to keep playing our game, regardless of who scores the first goal.”
Although Giroux scored twice in the game against Colorado, the Flyers’ loss to New Jersey on Wednesday night could tie the club record for the most losses in a row.
Yeo has to figure out how to turn things around for the Flyers, at least temporarily. In November 2018, Yeo was let go by the St. Louis Blues. After spending five seasons with Minnesota, he became an assistant with the Blues in 2016. During Yeo’s four full seasons, the Wild made the playoffs three times. However, he was fired 55 games into the 2015–16 season.
Yeo stated, “It’s a chance for me to demonstrate my growth.”
When Yeo was the Wild’s coach, Fletcher was Minnesota’s general manager. The new coach will probably get some opportunities to show that he can lead the Flyers to a postseason run.
“Scheduling interviews and hiring a head coach quickly is not the main goal. It’s to help Mike,” Fletcher remarked.
After Vigneault led the team to a 25-23-8 record (58 points) the previous season, Fletcher made major roster changes. Joel Farabee and Carter Hart received lucrative contract extensions from the Flyers, while Sean Couturier signed an eight-year, $62 million deal. Fletcher signed Keith Yandle and Derick Brassard and acquired defensemen Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen. In addition, the Flyers acquired forward Cam Atkinson through a trade and signed backup goaltender Martin Jones.
“I’m still not really sure what we have here,” Fletcher remarked.
Once more, Philadelphia’s adjustments were insufficient to elevate the Flyers to the title game. After Chicago defeated them in 2010, they have not advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
“I am unable to speak for the previous ten years. Fletcher stated, “Most of these guys haven’t been here that long.” “The current procedure isn’t correct. We must return to playing in the proper manner.
