Hextall...What Have His Positives Been To-Date?

[Sawdalite]

Kimmo re-signed with the Flyers at a Flyer Friendly Bonus constructed contract only to be unavailable due to blood clot situation... Del Zotto was signed as a 'project'... Harnell was shipped out for Umberger, leaving Flyers without an established #1 LW and losing another team leader along with Kimmo. Umberger came in with baggage and hopes of being a versatile Forward and a leader... Bellemare was signed and Hall was allowed to walk, as was Downie. Some minor moves were also made including Emory returning and Zepp signed for depth and a supposed past his prime Schultz was signed. In the Draft some prosing players, predominately at D, were selected with results being in the future... I may have missed some moves, but I don't believe any moves of note.

Hextall was handed a less than desired Cap situation and there was a major subtraction on the Blue Line that was beyond the Organization's control... an emergency replacement was brought in in hopes of his returning to establishing himself as an NHL two-way D-Man... He traded away an established Core player and Leader without a follow-up replacement in either Role... His one major trade was a disaster in that it was a stand alone one with no needed follow-up.

Hextall started with a Flyers team that went to the Seventh Game against the eventual Eastern Representative in the SCF -- and could arguably have beat them with a healthy Mason --and one that showed a lot of promise after a horrendous start. They looked on the upswing and had numerous young talented Offensive and Two-way players. The Flyers just past the midpoint of Hextall's First Season now look like a team destined for a Lottery Draft Pick and one that will need to do a lot of moves and growth to even get to the PostSeason going forward.

I understand that Hextall is preaching a 'Build From Within' policy and one that is less kneejerk than in the past... but he has made too few positive moves and too many negative ones, IMO. His plan has to assume that the players in the Organization will succeed and move up and forward... If the prospects are lacking, the time it takes to get back into contention slides. The Organization has always relied on its ability to contend yearly for a PO Seed as they continue to evolve in hopes for another Cup... Now it has become obvious that they are willing to step back before again moving forward, and risk failing and delaying moving forward. If Hextall is not the GM to do this we may be on a path for another long spand without a PostSeason such as the Farwell years under Jay Snider in the Early Nineties.

My questions are: What positives has Hextall done besides ones that are potential and way down the line and is Hextall up to the job?... Can the Flyers withstand Hextall's learning curve, and are we willing to be fully in support of going without the PostSeason even if it means that Hextall will fail and the Organization will have to regroup down the line?

Gloom and Doom post... or fair assessment of the situation? Please help me decide... I hope that I'm missing something and we are not on path of a possible long-term down period that may not ever pan out. BTW: I loved Hextall the Goalie... but I'm less than impressed by Hextall the GM at this point... as I imagine you can tell.

Please feel free to beat me up on this and set me straight.

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[flyershockey]

He really hasn't done much yet. He hasn't had much flexibility to do anything.

The Rinaldo and MacDonald extensions look terrible so far.

I do like his build from within mentality though.

 

[ILoveStephanieBrown]

It's hard to judge him right now. It's way too early. After his 3rd year here, I think will be an appropriate time to assess how he's done.

He traded away an established Core player and Leader without a follow-up replacement in either Role... His one major trade was a disaster in that it was a stand alone one with no needed follow-up.

You're really overrating Hartnell and his impact on the team. You're also really underrating the trade. It was a savy move that will pay off when it matters most. As for Hartnell's replacement, Raffl and Schenn have both contributed nicely on the 1st line when given the chances.

 

[BillDineen]

I think the majority of Flyers fans and all non-Flyers fans view the Hartnell trade as poor. Bringing in Umberger in exchange was not necessary.

Hextall has said the right things, including hinting at being a seller this deadline. I will judge him mostly by what he does this deadline. The deadline is when D are in demand and this team could use a 2nd round pick as a minimum. They are also not resigning all of Schultz this summer and the 3 UFAs next.

If he passes the deadline with flying colors and at a minimum fires Berube this summer I will be on board. Having said that, if he does little, I will be very worried. Time for him to prove himself is quickly approaching.

 

[Beef Invictus]

When you're building from within and haven't even been here a year, he's obviously gonna be fairly inactive. Especially since our most tradable assets are the ones we need for a real rebuild.

Hextalls biggest positive is staying the course and exercising patience, and actually planning for the future...something this franchise hasn't seen since what, the early 2000's?

 

[DrinkFightFlyers]

To early to make a call on Hextall one way or another. He hasn't done much good or bad because he hasn't even been here through one season. Nothing really to complain about but nothing really to praise him for either. He's made some good signings but nothing to write home about. We'll see how he handles the deadline/this coming offseason. The real test will be when he has to make some tough decisions with re-signing people and/or free agents to bring in.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

The true test will be this summer when he decides on what to do with Berube.

 

[Sawdalite]

It's hard to judge him right now. It's way too early. After his 3rd year here, I think will be an appropriate time to assess how he's done.



You're really overrating Hartnell and his impact on the team. You're also really underrating the trade. It was a savy move that will pay off when it matters most. As for Hartnell's replacement, Raffl and Schenn have both contributed nicely on the 1st line when given the chances.

The fact is that Hartnell was moved and the replacement was really not a replacement... the positives that Hartnell brought are gone and even if you say that Raffl and Schenn replaced him, is Umbeger the replacement for Raffl and Schenn of last Season? The major losses from last Season is Kimmo and Harts... Kimmo was unavoidable but IMO Hartnell's was shooting ourselves in the foot; had there been a subsequent move I could buy into moving Hartnell. He possibly could have signed a bought out Umberger cheaper and moved Hartnell for greater return, or just kept him.

If it takes three years to know if we are on the correct path with this GM, it will mean a three year setback if we are not on the proper path... Flyers Fans are not used to being in the desert for so long a time; we are used to either moving forward or better yet, contending albeit not fully succeeding to a Cup. Snider has to be content with being patient and understanding that he may fail... I don't see Snider in that light for very long. Hextall IMO will have to show some positive results at some point before three years. I hope he does... and does SOMETHING positive soon.

 

[Striiker]

Moving Hartnell was a smart move.

10/10 would dump again.

 

[Sawdalite]

To early to make a call on Hextall one way or another. He hasn't done much good or bad because he hasn't even been here through one season. Nothing really to complain about but nothing really to praise him for either. He's made some good signings but nothing to write home about. We'll see how he handles the deadline/this coming offseason. The real test will be when he has to make some tough decisions with re-signing people and/or free agents to bring in.

Most signings were under Homer's watch... Hexy has done some emergency ones with not much long-term impact -- besides maybe MDZ -- but Hexy has done little... too little, IMO. My fear is that the team that remains is regressing under his watch. Is that all Berube? Chief was here with Homer and had the team playing well for good stretches. I fear the team's confidence is shot... and a lot of that may because they need something that only a GM can provide. GMs in the past have supplied the short term plug than tides them over as they await the Farm to come through... Hexy doesn't seem interested in doing that. I'm not saying that he shouldn't hold to his build from within plan, just fart around with the Role players and transition players as he does... you know, keep respectable as you go. Problem is that I see the young core talent regressing and all consistency gone... They seem like a team willing to do as little as possible during the game/season and feel that they can just flip a switch when their backs are against the wall. Bad habits are growing... maybe it is the Coach... but the Coach the GM's call ultimately.

 

[Sawdalite]

Moving Hartnell was a smart move.

10/10 would dump again.

Yeah... that really worked out fine, huh?

 

[TerrapinFlyers]

He hasn't done much and I think that's the best thing so far. No more knee jerk trades.

 

[RJ8812*]

Yeah... that really worked out fine, huh?

yes because this team would be so much better with that clown still on the team

 

[Striiker]

Hartnell wouldn't make any difference if he were here right now, in fact he'd probably be hurting a ton because of his idiotic penalties and how bad the PK is. We got rid of his horrible contract in exchange for taking on one that's two years shorter. I'm not going to whine about the return of a trade that's in the past, but if I had to chose between re-doing the trade or keeping Hartnell you can bet your ass I'm re-doing that trade.

Shortsightedness isn't a good trait for a GM and luckily Hextall seems to be thinking more long-term than some posters on here.

 

[TerrapinFlyers]

yes because this team would be so much better with that clown still on the team

We could take more penalties and maybe get better at the pk.

 

[FLYERSG]

I like the Hartnell trade. Do I like RJ? Hell no. But, RJs contract > Hartnell's contract.

 

[Flyerss]

Hextall needs to start trading picks and young guys like Sanheim,Morin,Couturier for established player like Phaneuf,Mike Smith,Viktor Stalberg.
Giroux should move to the wing and Vinny should be our 1C with Rinaldo as our 1st line LW because he can hit we still have a 1% chance to make playoffs i belive in Berube.


just kidding, got you.

 

[Sawdalite]

Hartnell wouldn't make any difference if he were here right now, in fact he'd probably be hurting a ton because of his idiotic penalties and how bad the PK is. We got rid of his horrible contract in exchange for taking on one that's two years shorter. I'm not going to whine about the return of a trade that's in the past, but if I had to chose between re-doing the trade or keeping Hartnell you can bet your ass I'm re-doing that trade.

Shortsightedness isn't a good trait for a GM and luckily Hextall seems to be thinking more long-term than some posters on here.

If the Hartnell trade was a part of his current Flyers Resume I could understand... but it is the only major move on a team on a downward spiral... on a team where the talented core may not be around down the when the recent draft prospects pay off... IF they do pan out.

If he were to trade off the current studs in a full blown Rebuild then I could see it... but he is doing nothing either way. He is riding career years of two players and an emerging Goalie and other possible future stars without giving them any support... He is wasting away some good years with zero support. Is some of that due to bad breaks? Yes... but too much is from lack of positive action... or any action for that matter.

Maybe we could meet this half way and neither mortgage the future nor twiddle our thumbs await a possible carvery charge years down the line... Maybe we could find a way to bring in mentors that will teach the young core good habits rather than sit here and watch them gain more bad habits than they already possess.

And as for Hartnell making the team better... They lost Kimmo, Harts and Hall... could have re-signed Hall and hope that the loss of Kimmo would not regress the team as bad as it has. Kimmo is not easy to replace, but he can't be the entire reason for the regression... IMO Hartnell would help over Umberger on this team. I would hate to imagine this team worse.

If you can hang your hat with that one major Hextall move than more power to you... For me I want to see something more from Hextall. We are used to more in this Organization. Again, I'm getting flashbacks to Farwell and Jay Snider... I didn't like it then and I fear it now. at my age I don't have much more than five years to give up. Thank God I have my two Cups already, at this point, I pity those who don't.

Hey... you know me... I'm usually a positive guy; it takes a lot to make me a Negative Nellie.

 

[sharpeye97]

The Hartnell/Umberger trade is really his only move and I like it when looking at it down the road. Umberger's contract is up when the young ones will need to be resigned while hartnell would have been locked in for 2 more year (I think 2). I think he had a good draft as well. Also, the Schultz signing looks great.

I like what he's doing now, not overreacting and being patient to change things up. He understands the Flyers situation and isn't going to do anything dumb.

 

[Sawdalite]

I like the Hartnell trade. Do I like RJ? Hell no. But, RJs contract > Hartnell's contract.

For a brief period towards the end... I suppose we as a fan-base are resigned for three to fours years of drek as G, Jake, Mason get older and see their contracts tick away. Even with that, at least stay on an even keel rather than watch a regression of what once was a talented core.

 

[Sawdalite]

Hextall needs to start trading picks and young guys like Sanheim,Morin,Couturier for established player like Phaneuf,Mike Smith,Viktor Stalberg.
Giroux should move to the wing and Vinny should be our 1C with Rinaldo as our 1st line LW because he can hit we still have a 1% chance to make playoffs i belive in Berube.


just kidding, got you.

 

[CodyTheHuman]

Most signings were under Homer's watch... Hexy has done some emergency ones with not much long-term impact -- besides maybe MDZ -- but Hexy has done little... too little, IMO. My fear is that the team that remains is regressing under his watch. Is that all Berube? Chief was here with Homer and had the team playing well for good stretches. I fear the team's confidence is shot... and a lot of that may because they need something that only a GM can provide. GMs in the past have supplied the short term plug than tides them over as they await the Farm to come through... Hexy doesn't seem interested in doing that. I'm not saying that he shouldn't hold to his build from within plan, just fart around with the Role players and transition players as he does... you know, keep respectable as you go. Problem is that I see the young core talent regressing and all consistency gone... They seem like a team willing to do as little as possible during the game/season and feel that they can just flip a switch when their backs are against the wall. Bad habits are growing... maybe it is the Coach... but the Coach the GM's call ultimately.

With what cap space should he be signing these short-term plugs? Also, what available free agents would have helped this team? I don't see any that would help. Would you rather have him trade away someone important to sign a short term plug? I wouldn't. Hextall is doing the best thing he can for the club and that is being patient. Knee-jerk reactions are what got the Flyers into this mess. The best way to build a champion team is to build from within. That's what Hextall says he is doing, that's what we all have to wait for.

 

[Striiker]

If the Hartnell trade was a part of his current Flyers Resume I could understand... but it is the only major move on a team on a downward spiral... on a team where the talented core may not be around down the when the recent draft prospects pay off... IF they do pan out.

If he were to trade off the current studs in a full blown Rebuild then I could see it... but he is doing nothing either way. He is riding career years of two players and an emerging Goalie and other possible future stars without giving them any support... He is wasting away some good years with zero support. Is some of that due to bad breaks? Yes... but too much is from lack of positive action... or any action for that matter.

Maybe we could meet this half way and neither mortgage the future nor twiddle our thumbs await a possible carvery charge years down the line... Maybe we could find a way to bring in mentors that will teach the young core good habits rather than sit here and watch them gain more bad habits than they already possess.

And as for Hartnell making the team better... They lost Kimmo, Harts and Hall... could have re-signed Hall and hope that the loss of Kimmo would not regress the team as bad as it has. Kimmo is not easy to replace, but he can't be the entire reason for the regression... IMO Hartnell would help over Umberger on this team. I would hate to imagine this team worse.

If you can hang your hat with that one major Hextall move than more power to you... For me I want to see something more from Hextall. We are used to more in this Organization. Again, I'm getting flashbacks to Farwell and Jay Snider... I didn't like it then and I fear it now. at my age I don't have much more than five years to give up. Thank God I have my two Cups already, at this point, I pity those who don't.

Hey... you know me... I'm usually a positive guy; it takes a lot to make me a Negative Nellie.

Being patient is the most positive thing that he can do.

Hartnell wouldn't make the current team a contender and he isn't going to be a part of the team when they're ready to compete in the future. He's already rapidly declining so getting rid of him before we got stuck with him was the best thing to do.

The only person who we lost that made a difference was Timonen. Hartnell was addition by subtraction and Hall was merely a 4th liner. Even if Timonen was here we're not winning a cup. The D sucks, with him it's better but still bottom 3rd of the league.

The most positive thing Hextall has done so far is that he's laid out a plan for the future. He's going to try to draft our way into success instead of making the same mistakes Holmgren made over and over. The team sucks this year, but that's fine, he knew that was likely and accepted it because scrambling to avoid that probably hurts us in the future. If he can get some picks at the deadline and then dumb Berube in the offseason then as far as I'm concerned he's been a huge success so far. That's exactly what we need and, based on what he's said so far, he realizes it. It looks like we're going to be getting a good player in the upcoming draft and since our D prospects are all progressing at or above expectations we're well on our way to becoming a better team... just need to be a bit patient and realize that he can't work miracles.

 

[Adam Warlock]

No one knows what Hextall is thinking. If he really thinks this is a playoff team...then he hasnt done his job because he has done nothing to try to make them better. If he thought this year was a wash anyway, then the few months will tell us more.

The trade deadline is his first BIG test. If he can move some contracts and get some value back (like Homer did in 07), then I will have a little more faith in him.

His next big tests will be the coaching situation and the draft. If Berube is back next year, Hextall is clearly not the savior we all hoped hed be.

 

[Icedog2735]

For a brief period towards the end... I suppose we as a fan-base are resigned for three to fours years of drek as G, Jake, Mason get older and see their contracts tick away. Even with that, at least stay on an even keel rather than watch a regression of what once was a talented core.

You have to ask yourself if Hexy didn't make the Hartnell trade would the team be in a better position right now? Flat out no. I don't see any way this team is better in the standings with him. The problem is defense which luckily is where our most promising prospects lie. I think being sellers this year, getting rid of the dead weight both salary and talent-wise, is the way to go and seems to be his plan. I don't think it will be too long before this team will be on the rebound. It's just that as Flyers fans we haven't had the word "rebuild" in our vocabulary for a decade or two.