In case you weren’t paying attention, Chuck Fletcher didn’t exactly done a great job as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers. He was at the helm from December of 2018 to March 2023 and has made plenty of questionable acquisitions along the way, but the list of players he has missed out on may be even more impressive. Whether it be general ineptitude, or an inability to get creative enough, here are some of the biggest names the Flyers missed out on during Chuck Fletcher’s tenure as general manager.
Number 5: Alex DeBrincat
The Flyers’ wishlist was rather long heading into the 2022 offseason, and a young, proven goalscorer was at the tippy top. Enter Alex DeBrincat, a 24-year-old winger the Chicago Blackhawks had put on the trade block. He was eventually shipped to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for a 2022 first round pick (7th overall), a 2022 second round pick (39th overall) and a 2024 third round pick. DeBrincat has hovered around the 30-goal, 65-point plateau in the three years since that trade, which would be better than most forwards on the Flyers in that time but not quite the world-beating numbers he was posting alongside Patrick Kane. Was the price tag too high? Well the next day the Flyers would send three draft picks (2022 4th, 2023 3rd, 2024 2nd) to Carolina in exchange for Tony DeAngelo while putting their hopes and dreams into drafting Cutter Gauthier, and, ya know how both of those stories went.
Number 4: Dougie Hamilton
The Flyers were in the right-handed defense market in 2021 and ultimately opted to acquire Ryan Ellis via trade, the older, cheaper option, instead of signing Dougie Hamilton in free agency. The Flyers got all of four games out of Ellis before he more or less retired, meanwhile Hamilton is a staple on the Devils’ squad. $9 million is a steep price for a (at the time) 28-year-old, but would you rather pay $9 million for a healthy, productive player or $6.25 million for Ellis to sit on his couch for six years?
Number 3: Dylan Strome
Dylan Strome was a low-risk, high-reward center who the Blackhawks didn’t re-sign as an RFA, but it should’ve been such an obvious signing and the Flyers didn’t even consider. A 25-year-old center that shows decent upside should’ve been on the radar during 2022, but nope. Instead they opted to run it back once again with Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost and Kevin Hayes, and it brought the expected results, meanwhile the Capitals signed Strome to a one-year, $3.5 million contract and he’s blossomed into their top center feeding Alex Ovechkin ever since. Such an obvious move they ignored in favor of adding Nic Deslauriers.
Number 2: Sam Reinhart
Reinhart was a player the Flyers could’ve, and very well should’ve pursued during 2021. The Flyers made a deal with the Sabres for Rasmus Ristolainen just days before Reinhart ultimately got dealt to the Florida Panthers. Reinhart, a 25-year-old forward that was oozing with talent on a very bad Buffalo squad, can play either center or wing. Unsurprisingly, he went on to score 277 points in 268 games with the Panthers after originally signing a reasonable three-year $19.5 million extension shortly after being acquired. The Flyers dealt first and second round picks plus Robert Hagg for Ristolainen. The Panthers snagged Reinhart for goalie prospect Devon Levi and a 2022 first round pick. You’re telling me if Chuck Fletcher wasn’t a complete idiot he couldn’t have finessed a deal to land Reinhart as well?
Number 1: Jack Eichel
The one thing the Flyers need more than anything else is a young, talented, offensively dynamic center and they had a chance when Jack Eichel became available after a very public feud with the Sabres front office throughout 2021. He was a point-per-game player in all of his five seasons with the Sabres. Ironically, if the hesitation boiled down to his neck injury, Joel Farabee underwent a very similar procedure during the 2022 offseason. Eichel has registered 197 points in 191 games as a Golden Knight and won a Stanley Cup in 2023. Vegas acquired Eichel for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first and 2023 second round picks. A middle-six forward with a bit of upside, a prospect that is so far rather underwhelming and two draft picks. It’s a price tag that was significantly less than expected and would’ve been worth the investment for the Flyers, who still don’t have that franchise center to build around.
Honorable mentions
Alex Pietrangleo
When 30-year-old right-handed defenseman Alex Pietrangelo hit the free agent market in 2020, he would’ve been a prime target for the Flyers in their hunt for a top RHD. The rumors were vague on this one, but apparently the Flyers did attempt to throw their hat in the ring, but were denied pretty quickly by Pietrangelo, because, ya know, nobody wants to play here anymore thanks to the masterpiece Fletcher has put on the ice.
Matthew Tkachuk
Now, the price tag the Florida Panthers ended up paying for Matthew Tkachuk is something the Flyers couldn’t even have considered doing, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that a player of Tkachuk’s caliber was available and didn’t end up in orange and black. He may be the most prototypical Flyer in the league today and would’ve been an instant fan favorite as well as their top player on the ice. He’s got 220 points in 180 games plus a Stanley Cup in Florida. The Flyers couldn’t match the price, but maybe that speaks to the current state of the organization where they can’t even enter trade negotiations because the talent within the organization is so scarce.
Patrik Laine
When then-22-year-old sniper Patrik Laine hit the trade block with the Winnipeg Jets in 2020, the Flyers sniffed around, but ultimately turned their nose up at a deal. It was eventually rumored that the Jets were asking Ivan Provorov in return, a price tag the Flyers deemed too high at the time, mixed with the lack of contractual commitment Laine had. Fast forward to the 2023 offseason and the Flyers dealt Provorov in a three-team trade that ultimately landed them Oliver Bonk. Due to various on and off ice problems, Laine has never been able to replicate the success he had during his first few seasons in Winnipeg, but when there’s a drought in goalscoring and ol’ Chucky doesn’t feel the need to acquire him, especially for a player they’d pull the rip cord on a few years later, hindsight doesn’t do this one any favors.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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