Does Matt Murray Have an NHL Future? Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTg1Nzg5MjYzODAyMDE3NDA4/usatsi_15744757.jpg] Heads continue to roll within the NHL's coaching ranks. The Philadelphia Flyers became the second club to dismiss their bench boss in the past 12 hours on Monday morning, as DailyFaceOff's Frank Seravalli reported that the team has relieved Alain Vigneault of his duties as head coach. Assistant coach Michel Therrien is out, as well. The move comes just hours after the Vancouver Canucks enacted their own off-ice purge the night before, firing head coach Travis Green and GM Jim Benning, among others, following a disastrous start to the season. Now, perhaps, the former may not be out of a job for long. Still, the writing had been on the wall for Vigneault for quite some time. The Flyers stumbled out of the gates to start the 2021-22 season, stringing together a disappointing 8-10-4 record that currently puts them seventh in their own division and 24th overall in the league-wide standings. This dismal debut was made even worse coming on the heels of some major offseason additions by GM Chuck Fletcher, bringing in Ryan Ellis, Cam Atkinson, Keith Yandle, Martin Jones, and Rasmus Ristolainen over the summer in an attempt to push the Flyers back into contention. Now, an argument could certainly be made for the latter three being less-than-ideal additions to what is thought to be a contending roster, and that argument would be correct. Regardless, the expectation from management was for the Flyers to return to the top of their division. And, over a quarter of the way into the season, they currently sit in second-last. That was never going to be a sustainable situation. Not with the Flyers looking destined to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season, and third of Vigneault's four years at the helm. Time will tell whether or not this is a sign of bigger changes within the organization in the days to come.
