Philadelphia Flyers Town Hall Q & A with GM Ron Hextall

Last night the Philadelphia Flyers hosted a Private Town hall meeting at the Wells Fargo Center that Section 215’s own Amanda Mazzucca had the pleasure of covering.

Below is a Q&A with Flyers GM Ron Hextall and staff:

How do you see the team moving forward after standing pat at the trade deadline?
Hextall says that he didn’t see anything at the trade deadline that made him want to change his current team. He is focusing on building the team from within and using his draft picks and prospects to build a solid roster. He did mention that he was very close to bringing in a young forward, but the price was too high, and he evaluated his options meticulously – He believes he made the right decision in not selling off young players. Moving forward, he sees the team becoming a strong core of players who value their sport, their logo, and everything the Philadelphia Flyers name stands for… He is happy with the progress of young roster players like Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier – They have both shown extensive desire to be a part of the Flyers Organization. Schenn will become a free agent at the end of the season, and Hextall will negotiate with him then.

Did the Drouin Rumors have any substance to them?
Quite frankly, no… Hextall was not interested in Drouin. He was very adamant about saying that you can only believe about
10% of what you read and see in the media. He did not make a push for Drouin at any point.

What do you think about the Philadelphia Flyers’ chances to push for a wildcard spot in the East?

Hextall would have liked to have been a few points farther ahead in the playoff race, but he is extremely pleased with the team’s push thus far. He says that the Philadelphia Flyers have many players taking leadership roles and this year has been one of the best he’s seen, on and off the ice. Players are motivated to practice and win games, and that’s what they needed to have gotten this far. Coach Hakstol says that he agrees, and he focuses on pushing his players to win the next game. As each game passes, win or lose, they put it behind them and move forward, looking at strategies to attack the next game in the most effective way. They are both confident that the Flyers are strong enough and have enough chemistry amongst their lines to push through for a shot at the playoffs. If not this year, definitely soon coming…

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Do you think that we have the depth to cope with the many injuries we have suffered in recent weeks despite them being short term?
In regards to recent injuries, Coach Hakstol and GM Hextall have both said that we have players on the team who have taken obvious leadership roles. Everyone has stepped up to fill the spots of those who are injured. For example, when Claude Giroux was hurt, Brayden Schenn stepped up and controlled his center position successfully. Hextall says there are leaders on the team who fans would least expect, but he sees the maturity on and off the ice that’s needed to create a solid, well-bonded team. He is confident that the team can overcome injury – It’s only a minor set-back in most cases, and the team can adapt accordingly.

After Ghost’s success, do you think that it’s time to integrate more members of the farm system into the first team?
Hextall and Coach Hakstol both say that when younger prospects are ready, they will be given chances to play at a higher level. Right now, not many are ready. They praise the work of Gostisbehere, and both say that he has impressed greatly – He had improved much faster than expected in his first NHL year. He was called up on emergency basis, and proved that he has the mentality and skill to compete at NHL level. While he still has learning to do, it will be learning on the job, as they said… He will make mistakes, but he won’t make them twice. Also, Hextall is quite impressed by the role that Nick Cousins has filled on the NHL roster. Cousins may not be ready to stay in the NHL just yet, but he has added skill to the line-up because of his keen hockey sense and ability to win battles for the puck. As for other prospects, Hextall and Chris Pryor (Director of Scouting) have said that they will not push young players into the NHL until they show they are ready physically and mentally. They mentioned Travis Konecny, Sam Morin, and Ivan Provorov – All have been having great seasons, but all are not showing the maturity to compete at NHL level. While they are close, they still need to prove themselves this season in their respective leagues and again in development camp. They are also keeping an eye on youngsters like Travis Sanheim, Felix Sandstrom, and Oskar Lindblom. Hextall says there is no rush to bring in younger players in the system until they are fully ready.

Key Takeaways from the town hall:

The Philadelphia Flyers are going about building the team the right way, with a strong core of players that plays for the logo.
Trust the process, good things are on the horizon for the future of the Flyers.
Chris Pryor is building something with the youth ranks. But don’t expect to see the players quickly.
Team members are really stepping up in the wake of injury.

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