The morning after a humbling defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Philadelphia Flyers have relieved Head Coach Alain Vigneault of his duties.
It’s been a disappointing season, to say the least, for Philadelphia, who currently sits seventh in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 8-10-4. The Flyers were committed to change this offseason and underwent a flurry of moves, such as the swap of Cam Atkinson and Jakub Voracek, in order to accomplish the desired change. That hasn’t exactly gone to plan as, after a solid start, the Flyers are currently on an eight-game losing streak that has been nothing short of embarrassing.
The change does not come as a surprise in the slightest. Vigneault has struggled to motivate the team to produce on-the-ice, and it became clear that a new voice is needed. Last’s night’s loss to the Lightning was just the final nail in the coffin.
The question now becomes, will this change in Coach lead to a change in record? There were more reasons for the Flyers’ failures than Vigneault, such as the fact that Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes have eight games played between the two of them, but the hope is this first change will light a fire under the team.
Time will tell who the Flyers will replace Vigneault with, but the general feeling in Philadelphia should be one of hope. It’s far from the only change that needed to be made, but it was certainly the first domino that needed to fall.
