THN.com/podcast. From The Hockey News Podcast: Who Benefits the Most from the Trade Deadline? Chuck Fletcher. [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MTkxODkxMzA3OTg2MTY3Mjgy/usatsi_7415798.jpg] Chuck Fletcher. We have our first GM casualty of the season. The Philadelphia Flyers did the inevitable on Friday morning, officially firing embattled GM Chuck Fletcher after parts of five seasons at the helm. Former Flyers forward and special assistant to the GM, Daniel Briere, will take over as interim GM throughout the remainder of the season. The timing reflected the organization's desire not to let Fletcher sit in uncertainty and to let the fans know they've been heard, THN's Ryan Kennedy reported. The Flyers parted ways with Fletcher one week after allowing him to run the trade deadline, leaving him in charge of a crucial period in time when the club could recoup valuable assets in exchange for players that didn't fit their current contention timeline to hopefully make the team better in the future. Fletcher ultimately failed to do so when the dust settled, most notably being unable to find a taker for pending free agent James van Riemsdyk, and seemed to have sealed his fate with such inaction. There hoped to be at least a third- or fourth-round pick in return for van Riemsdyk at the deadline as well, so the Flyers reportedly had some frustration [https://twitter.com/THNRyanKennedy/status/1634233519768518686?s=20] there as well. Not exactly helping his cause was the fact that the Fletcher era was one of the least successful in Flyers' history. After his hiring in December 2018, the Flyers went a combined 141-145-43 under Fletcher with just one playoff appearance in the 2020 COVID-19 bubble, despite proclaiming a desire to contend the entire time. Currently, the Flyers sit 26th overall in the NHL standings with a dismal 24-30-11 record and minus-44 goal differential. They seem destined to once again finish near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division standings. On top of that, the Flyers saw five different coaches step behind the bench during Fletcher's tenure with the club, including two who operated under the interim tag. “The Philadelphia Flyers organization has always been defined by grit, determination, and a standard of excellence,” said chairman of Comcast Spectacor and governor of the Flyers, Dave Scott, in a statement [https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/flyers-release-president-and-general-manager-chuck-fletcher/c-342064764] on Friday. “Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for hockey operations." According to Scott, Briere will help facilitate the transition process in the Flyers' front office as the organization searches for Fletcher's replacement.
