The Philadelphia Flyers are atrocious from top to bottom and everyone is fed up. Rather than performing surgery on the roster and front office to try and salvage the once mighty organization, why not just get rid of them instead!
Relocation is something that happens from time to time in the NHL. Much less in recent years than in the past, but if there was ever a time to try it again, it should happen for the Flyers. Move the no-longer-wanted Philadelphia franchise to a city that previously lost their team. In this case, let’s roll with the Quebec Nordiques. The return of the Nordiques is something hockey fans have been wanting since they originally left in 1995.
Now, the NHL can’t just leave a hockey town like Philadelphia without a team. So a new ownership group, anybody but Comcast, can claim a stake for a new expansion team in the City of Brotherly Love. Why not name it the Philadelphia Blazers, a nod to the World Hockey Association team who played the 1972-73 season in the city.
Any team in this era that can be crafted through expansion will have more success than the current Flyers squad. Given the Flyers’ 25-46-11 record in 2021-22, it’s almost impossible for that not to be the case. Unless they totally and intentionally screw it up like the Seattle Kraken did. Look no further than the Vegas Golden Knights, who made it to the Stanley Cup Final during their inaugural season for proof of concept.
The NHL gets a beloved franchise back in the Quebec Nordiques, and they’ll be just as awful as they were the first time around. Meanwhile the city of Philadelphia gets a brand new hockey team with brand new owners who can capitalize on a market desperate for a good team.
Win-win all around.
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By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: vectorportal.com
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