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"Flyers hockey, through the eyes of a true fan"
West Chester, PA • United States •
To say that this has been an uneventful offseason ALREADY for the Flyers is far from the truth. June 23rd strikes again, and I think this year, it was highly unexpected. I couldn't believe my eyes when I was at work on Monday at Noon, and I saw a Twitter notification flash on my phone, and just like that, the first major surprise in the Hextall era! Hartnell to the Blue Jackets for former Flyer R.J. Umberger and a 4th round draft pick. For a second I thought to myself "wow, the Flyers made a trade already and it's not even draft night," and then it hit me that one of my favorite Flyers was gone just like that. Scotty was a fan favorite, but I have to say that I agree with the whole "In Hextall we trust" vibe that's going around right now. Sure, we all thought Scotty would retire a Flyer, and also that we would probably be stuck with a lovable on-ice liability for the next five seasons, and that he made up for it with his passion for the fans and his charity, but Hexy seems to know what he wants out of this team already, and I think that is the right direction for the team to go in. We all know that we need that "culture change" that we have been talking about for the past two seasons, but I do not think it has to be as dramatic as originally thought. We just need fast legs and guys who stay out of the penalty box, and that's already an excellent start. We have the goaltending in place (minus having a definite backup for next season at this point), and we have the prospects in the system to build a solid defense in the future. This trade was more about the future than anything though, and that is a great start in the much needed "culture change." At least Umberger was liked by the fans, and hopefully he really does have "more in the tank" like he has been emphasizing. I will be attending night 1 of the draft on Friday night, and I still anticipate that we have not seen the last of Hextall's tricks. Looking forward to attending, and maybe for the next Flyers move!
Filed Under:   Trade   Offseason   Umberger   Hartnell   Flyers  
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