He’s back, but luckily, he’s not with Philadelphia. Former General Manager of the Philadelphia Flyers Chuck Fletcher is back in the Metropolitan with the New Jersey Devils in a front office capacity. Fletcher’s official position is Senior Advisor to the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager.
Chuck Fletcher takes advisory role in New Jersey
Chuck Fletcher had a long career as a GM in the National Hockey League. From 2009-2018, Fletcher was the Minnesota Wild’s GM, then went to Philadelphia from 2018-2023 to take on that same role. After his time with Philadelphia, he appeared in the media, giving insight into what teams should do during the trade deadline, which many found ironic after a chaotic era in the City of Brotherly Love.
Fans in Philadelphia grew angry with Fletcher because of the damaging contracts he gave out and the lack of communication with the fanbase. Notably, when Fletcher traded Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers to Nashville in return for Ryan Ellis, who only played four games for the Flyers.
Another example of Fletcher letting down Philadelphia is when he didn’t sign Johnny Gaudreau, who even said he wanted to play for the storied franchise. Gaudreau, a New Jersey native, had ambitions of playing for his favorite team, but Fletcher didn’t sign him. Needless to say Flyers hockey is in better hands these days.
Is this a good move for the Devils? Maybe. Fletcher holds an advisory role for Tom Fitzgerald, president/GM. This gives Fletcher less control over the organization’s activities, which is good. Although he has an impressive resume, many still need to be aware about his decision-making. New Jersey giving him a chance in the front office could be significantly redeeming, but it’s a risk that Philadelphia will undoubtedly happily watch unfold from the sidelines.
REUTERS/Eric Miller (UNITED STATES – Tags: SPORT ICE HOCKEY)
