Flyers Fans Entitled To Skepticism Until New Front Office Proves Otherwise

Dating back to the days of Bob Clarke as the team's GM this team has only been successful up to a certain point. From Bob Clarke to Paul Holmgren and Ron Hextall, when the team is good, they're contenders, but that's the biggest problem: they're only contenders. They have never been anything more with a former player in charge.

The fan base has watched teams like the Flyers cross-state rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins bottom out, build their team and become some type of dynasty with top of the draft selected players.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have used the same formula, with a few of their own touches sprinkled into the recipe due to different circumstances arising.

Another rival, the New Jersey Devils are now in the midst of coming out of their own recent re-build after using the same formula the Penguins seem to have made famous since Crosby and Malkin were drafted, and while they haven't won anything yet they've used the formula and moved into contending status.

Now of course, rebuilding and selecting high-end talent at the top of the draft is not always as successful as the Penguins and Lightning have made it seem. For proof of that, just look at the Edmonton Oilers. With arguably the best player in the world on their roster in Connor McDavid, and a side-kick to help him out in Leon Draisaitl, they still haven't been able to break through beyond the second round of the playoffs.

But the formula is at least the start to building a team worthy of contention that has the potential to go further.

Something the Flyers haven't done, arguably, ever!

So while the head coach has a point, it's not fair to deem all former players as a 'diseases' in the front office or count them out before they've had a chance to prove anything, he also has to realize that this team has been run by former Flyers for DECADES, and not once have they won a cup with a Former Flyer at the helm.

So are former players who have moved into the front office "diseased", obviously not in the literal sense of the word, no. However, in a more figurative way, from the fans view of things, yes former players coming back to the teams front office to run the team has not worked out up to this point, so it seems to have some kind of curse or, to use the word Torts did, disease to it. It's going to be up to Briere and Jones to change that stigma. If they do, the notion will disappear. At least for the foreseeable future beyond that, but until the team is successful with a former Flyer in charge, unfortunately, whether the head coach likes it or not, the stigma will remain in place.