Flyers Fire Assistant GM, Assistant Coach, But Keep Hakstol

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Days after firing general manager Ron Hextall, two more long-tenured members of the Flyers organization were let go Wednesday: assistant general manager Chris Pryor and assistant coach Gord Murphy. The job of head coach Dave Hakstol appears safe, as Flyers President Paul Holmgren indicated that no further moves were expected.

Though the firing of a GM often indicates a sweeping regime change, that does not seem to be the case here. Rather, Holmgren seems to be working hand in hand with Hakstol in reorienting the organization. The dismissals of Pryor, tenured with the Flyers for 20 years, and Murphy, hired five years ago, are more surprising because they didn't come at the same time as Hextall's firing.

"I would like to thank Chris for his dedication to the franchise and contributions over the last 20 years," Holmgren said Wednesday. "Likewise, we thank Gord Murphy for serving behind the bench for the last five seasons and helping grow and develop our young core of defensemen. We do not anticipate any further personnel moves in the near term."

The personnel changes come as the Flyers have fallen to last place in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference. After winning four out of five to start November, they've dropped six of their last seven, including a rough third period collapse Tuesday against Ottawa. Depite the abundance of talent on the roster and a few bright moments as recently as two weeks ago, their 22 points is the third lowest mark in the NHL.

Clearly, Flyers brass are not okay with this.

>>Flyers Fire General Manager Ron Hextall

When Hextall was fired, Holmgren cited "philosophical" differences. In a nutshell, Hextall preached patience for the rebuild, and focused on the long term in building a cup contender. He was not willing to sacrifice prospects for short term gains, and was reportedly "inflexible" on that point.

As pointed out by Flyers beat writer Mike Sielski in an insightful piece for Philly.com, this was tantamount to the Flyers "doing what they never do": rebuilding.

Though the Flyers have not won a Stanley Cup since 1975, they have battled to be competitive every year. It's part of their brand. Truly "down" years are few and far between. Though the team has only made a handful of Stanley Cup apperances since then: 1987, 1996, and 2010 (all losses), there were numerous teams that were good enough to win, especially in the mid to late 90s.

Compare the Flyers to the other Philadelphia franchises, all of whom have gone through planned rebuilds to create contenders. The Phillies and 76ers each just went through five year down periods; both are now back in contention. Hextall had the reins in Philadelphia for five years, and while the talent on the roster was too good to ever say the team was "rebuilding," they were as close to openly admitting it as they've been in some time.

Hextall's biggest reluctance — and the thing which has doomed the Flyers this season so far — was to trade for a top tier goalie. Between Claude Giroux and Jakob Voracek, they have some of the best players in the world, but injuries have highlighted their glaring weakness and lack of depth between the pipes. Hextall seemed to be holding out, waiting for prospect Carter Hart perhaps, and unwilling to sacrifice even a small part of what looks like a bright future (the team is full of good young players) to gain an advantage in the short term.

Fast-forward to Wednesday: the dismissal of Murphy was reportedly a shock to Flyers players. Of note is the fact that Holmgren acknowledged Murphy's work in "developing defenseman," signalling perhaps that the period of development has ended.

While the first order of business will be finding a new GM, expect the Flyers to make roster moves aimed at salvaging the season and competing immediately. For better or worse, there will no more biding and waiting in South Philly.

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