Philadelphia Flyers pull off shocking move by firing Ron Hextall

The Philadelphia Flyers pulled off the surprising move on Monday morning by parting ways with general manager Ron Hextall.

To say Philadelphia Flyers fans have been frustrated with Ron Hextall at times over the years would be a huge understatement when looking at all of the times this team has fallen way short of living up to expectations.

Just look at what took place last year in which the Flyers squeezed their way into the playoffs before they were embarrassed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the opening round, and it’s easy to understand why there’s been so much tension towards Hextall.

Without question, Hextall will always be considered a fan favorite from his playing days as a goalie in Philadelphia, but this didn’t necessarily mean they had to feel the same way about his skills as a general manager.

Turns out, Flyers fans no longer have to worry about their conflicted feelings after the organization pulled off the surprise move on Monday by announcing that Hextall would no longer be general manager of the team.

Despite continuing to be involved with the Flyers following his retirement in 1999, Hextall didn’t officially become general manager of the team until 2014. And while he certainly deserves some credit for some of the key moves made over the years, the decision to move on from Hextall seems like it was long overdue.

Since Hextall took over the duties as general manager, Philadelphia had only been to the playoffs twice, both of which happened to be eliminations in the first round.

Talent wise, the Flyers always seems like they had the potential to be one of the top teams in the NHL, yet for some reason they could never live up to the expectations.

Just look at how things are playing out so far during the 2018-19 season, as Philadelphia has now lost five of their last six games, including an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs over the weekend.

Now that Hextall is officially out of the picture, it seems like only a matter of time before Dave Hakstol is relieved of his duties since this seems to be long overdue as well. All things considered, the decision to move on from Hexstall may seem like it will make things a little more difficult in Philadelphia for this season, but at the end of the day, this seems like it will be worth it in the long run.