Chuck Fletcher has been relieved of his duties as the Flyers’ general manager. Danny Briere will serve as the Flyers general manager on an interim basis. Fletcher was with the Flyers organization for over four seasons as the team’s president of hockey operations and general manager. Brier, on the other hand, had previously been serving as a special assistant to the general manager.

Between bad contracts, a continuously poor team record, and low attendance rates, it was time for Fletcher to exit. The team is sure to take on a new look in the next few seasons, beginning with the front office and ending with players and coaches. Read on for how I think the team should progress.

Coach John Tortorella

It all comes back to Flyers coach John Tortorella, who likes to take an old school approach to what is quickly becoming a new-school sport. Tortorella coaches his players to play conservatively and defend well – two factors that no longer win games in the NHL.

Offensively Challenged

The Flyers under Tortorella have been especially offensively challenged. The Flyers rank 27th overall in goals for (124), 24th overall in expected goals percentage, and 23rd overall in shots taken. The team is offensively inept. And Tortorella’s hockey philosophy isn’t helping the situation.

The flyers also rank 9th overall in most penalties in minutes. Putting themselves at a constant man-disadvantage is another pressing reason that prevents the team from winning games. It’s something a coach like Tortorella should have under control.

Carter Hart

The next piece to the Flyers puzzle is Carter Hart. Hart is so often regarded as one of the best young goalies in the NHL, but constantly falls short of his potential. Hart has had a middling year this season, sporting a .904 save percentage with a 2.94 goals against average for a 18-21-10 record.

The Flyers have only won 25 games, which gives you an idea of how important Hart is to the team’s success, even if it is minimal. For the Flyers to excel, however, they’ll need Hart to regain the form he played with his first few seasons in the league, where he sported a .917 save percentage and a 2.42 goals against average.