It is truly hard to find anyone who didn’t see this move coming.
Much like their Philadelphia baseball counterparts, the Philles, who made a similar move involving former Manager Charlie Manuel and current Manage Ryne Sandberg, the Flyers decided to employ the strategy as well when they brought former all time Flyers great Ron Hextall in to be Paul Holmgren’s Assistant General Manager.
The immediate reaction when the hiring initally occurred was that it would only be a matter of time before Hextall would supplant Holmgren as the full fledged GM, and then Homer would move upward in the organization. When Peter Luukko, one of the longtime Flyer mainstays at the top decided to move on, the inevitable became even more transparent: Hextall would assume command of the players and payroll, and Holmgren would assume Luukko’s role as club President.
As the old joke goes, even Stevie Wonder could see this move a mile away.
With all due respect to Stevie, I’m quite certain he would agree as well(assuming he loves hockey, who doesn’t?) that this promotion could bring about a current of fresh air within the organization. Fans have been quick to praise and hammer Homer for his moves in the past, and during the last couple of seasons, it has been more of the latter than the former. To be honest, this seems a little unfair given the bright spots Homer has on his resume against the ill advised choices. Sure, I’m all for Hexy getting this opportunity, and much like his goaltending-turned-management counterpart Patrick Roy, Ron has earned his way to this position. He was a longtime scout, and he helped a group of ex-Flyer management personnel groom the Los Angeles Kings into a Stanley Cup winner. He has a proven track record, is a no thrills businessman, and so long as he really has freedom to control the roster, might be able to make the final key moves to bring the Cup back to Philly.
What Hextall inherits is a club stacked with youth, a solid goaltender, but an issue on the blue line. Holmgren did his best to do the right things for the club before stepping down, trying to restock the farm system, make solid draft picks, and sign or trade for help, but Ron will have a few problems, and it will be up to him to solve the ongoing mystery of a struggling defensive corps.
He’ll have to contend with whether or not Kimmo Timonen, the club’s top defender, will return, and if he does, for a bit of a hometown discount seeing as he is not the defenseman he once was. Hextall will also have to cope with the overload of shot blocking-league leading hitting-but not very good on the offensive side of things defenders he now pays. Niklas Grossmann, Luke Schenn, and Andy MacDonald are all virtually the same type of defender, and it leaves the club stifled a bit as all three have pretty heavy contracts. It’s obvious that Hex will have to move at least one of them in the offseason, more than likely to clear cap space or acquire a two way blue liner to give the club some balance. He also has a bit of a logjam down the middle in his forward groupings, and perhaps should consider packaging one of his 43 centermen for a top flight defender. The most likely scenario involves either Vincent Lecavalier or Brayden Schenn moving, and nearly every club in the NHL has been eyeballing Schenn something fierce, so it may be the case.
Only time will tell if this move was the right one, but that’s the case with every hiring or promotion. Hextall has the potential, and at the very least it will be exciting to see what he brings to the club he has long been associated with from the other side of the table.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
