Flyers Prepare Plans For Off-Season Both On And Off The Ice
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Last Sunday, the Flyers season came to an end. It ended two weeks after the loss of their beloved owner.
The death of Ed Snider send the organization into mourning. Despite their grief, the Flyers gave the heavily-favored Capitals six games before being eliminated. While the focus of many fans for the off-season will be changes made to the roster, how will the business end of the the Flyers run without Snider? Team President Paul Holmgren says it will be business as usual with the likes of Comcast CEO Brian Roberts involved.
"I think it will be handled the same way," said Holmgren. "We have a budget that we agree on. Obviously, we dealt with Mr. Snider in the past, but I'm sure Brian was aware with what's going on."
While the Flyers insist their ship will continue to run smoothly, the absence of Snider has left a gaping hole in the soul of the franchise. For people such as Holmgren who had known Snider for years, each day without their original owner is still difficult to deal with.
"It's been different," Holmgren said. "I'm sure it will continue to be a little bit different for a while here. I still look at the phone and think he is going to call."
As the Flyers' front office looks to move forward without Snider, the product on the ice is hoping to build on the 2015-16 season. General Manager Ron Hextall was happy with some of the progress he has seen, but was quick to point out there is more work to do heading into the 2016-17 campaign.
"I'm not going to throw rose pedals around," said Hextall. "We still lost out in the first round. I'm not thrilled about that, and I don't think our players necessarily are, either. We did take steps."
The Flyers are expected to have an open competition next season between goaltenders Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth. Hextall is hoping for similar competition at other positions, and is also planning on making his share of changes before training camp begins in September. He admitted that finding another forward to make a scoring impact on one of the top two lines is a high priority, but added he will be patient as the off-season progresses.
"I'm not an impatient guy," Hextall said. "Maybe I was a little bit on the ice, but I've been off the ice for 17 years. The whole thing that we started to build two years ago....our vision's the same and we're on the path and we're a lot closer than we were two years ago."