Flyers make a change in goal following Hextall firing

Plenty of action in Philly today and you get the sense that this is just beginning.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 5 years ago
Flyers make a change in goal following Hextall firing
Zuma Press

In case you missed it, Philadelphia Flyers president Paul Holmgren announced that the team has relieved general manager Ron Hextall of his duties.

Check it out:



Hextall had been GM of the Flyers since 2014 and during his tenure one of the biggest criticisms from fans has been his inability to stabilize the team’s situation in goal. In fact, some argue that the Flyers haven’t had stability in goal since Hextall himself was between the pipes for the team in the 1980s and 1990s. The team has auditioned a carousel of goalies under Hextall including Steve Mason, Brian Elliott, Michal Neuvirth, Petr Mrazek, Calvin Pickard and others… none have worked out with any consistency.

Now, on the day that the Flyers can their former franchise goalie and GM, the team has made a somewhat surprising move in goal. The team has assigned backup Alex Lyon to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and called up AHL net minder Anthony Stolarz.

The move has perplexed some Flyers fans, including Post Courier reporter Dave Isaac:


Flyers have sent G Alex Lyon back to the Phantoms. I’m still on the no-one-here-to-answer-questions thing, but moving on from Hextall changes everything. Is Anthony Stolarz now ahead of Lyon on the depth chart? Who knows.


The real move that Flyers fans want is for the team to call up super rookie Carter Hart from the Phantoms, but the 21 year old Hart has struggled in his rookie pro season. Should Stolarz stumble, as Elliott,  Neuvirth, Pickard and Lyon all have this season, you HAVE to believe that Hart will finally get his shot, no?

Source: Dave Isaac