The Philadelphia Flyers have fired general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher.
The Flyers confirmed Fletcher’s dismissal in a statement to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“Over the past several seasons, our team simply has not lived up to that standard, so today, we will begin to chart a new path forward under a new leadership structure for Hockey Operations,” Flyers governor Dave Scott said in the statement. “This morning, we released Chuck Fletcher from his president and general manager responsibilities. We are grateful for his hard work and dedication to this organization, and we wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”
Daniel Briere will serve as the interim general manager as the Flyers look to fill the GM and president of hockey operations roles separately, sources told ESPN.
Fletcher was in his fifth year leading the Flyers, with the team making the playoffs just once in his tenure. Philadelphia has hinted that it is embarking on a rebuild, accentuated by a letter coach John Tortorella wrote to season ticket holders in February stating the team “is not there yet.”
Fletcher’s firing comes a week after the NHL trade deadline, which was underwhelming for the Flyers. Fletcher was not able to trade several players it had been trying to move, including pending unrestricted free agent James Van Riemsdyk. Fletcher was defensive over the lack of a Van Riemsdyk deal, saying a market never materialized for the winger.