While 16 other teams duke it out for the Stanley Cup, another 3 teams ranging from mild to extreme enthusiasm ahead of the NHL draft lottery, and a mixture of middling clubs coasting until the NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have several tasks to undertake before then and one of them is finding a President of Hockey Operations.
Daniel Brière was named interim general manager after Chuck Fletcher was relieved of his duties as GM and president of hockey operations, and it’s more and more likely that Brière will finally get the interim tag removed at some point this spring.
With an open slot in a very important position in the front office, the Flyers have been doing their due diligence and will be looking for a more modern hire than the albatrosses who have plagued this organization for eons.
Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek dissected this top from head to toe when the news initially broke early in March, but mentioned several names to keep an eye out for moving forward. Robert Esche, Chris Pronger, and Ray Shero were some of the initial names that were mentioned, but since then, Scott Mellanby, Cammi Granato, Émilie Castonguay, Doug Wilson, and Dave Poulin have all joined the fray.
Castonguay and Granato are both currently the assistant general managers for the Vancouver Canucks. It is widely believed that Castonguay at the very least had an interview with the Flyers, while nothing has been confirmed with Granato. However, they’re both on their radar and as Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo stated, that if they were to hire Castonguay, she would like to bring Granato with her.
Castonguay worked for Momentum Hockey, where she was the first female NHL-certified player agent and represented first overall selection in Alexis Lafrenière, and she also interned with the Montreal Canadiens while she was attending Niagara University before going to law school in Montreal.
Granato is a decorated U.S women’s hockey player with 16 silver medals and 4 gold medals throughout her career. She is well connected in the hockey world, being the sister of Tony Granato and Don Granato and being married to Ray Ferraro. She graduated from Concordia University in Montreal, has spent some time as a rinkside reporter and colour commentator for NBC, and was a scout for the Seattle Kraken from 2019-2021 before joining Castonguay with the Canucks in 2021-22.
A lot of the other names mentioned are former Flyers, and while we have all been screaming and shouting about stopping this trend, let’s not forget that we want the dinosaurs to be extinct in Bobby Clarke, Bill Barber, and Paul Holmgren – men who have been focal points in this organization since the late 60s and early 70s.
Former goaltender, Robert Esche, spent parts of 4 years with the Flyers and compiled a 60-40-16 record in 128 games, a .901 SV% and a 2.65 GAA. while taking home the William M. Jennings Trophy for least amount of goals allowed alongside Roman Čechmánek in 2o02-03. After finishing off his career with stops in the KHL and Swiss National League, he has served as President of the Utica Comets of the AHL since 2013-14.
Hall of Fame defenseman and former Flyers captain Chris Pronger has drawn interest from the Flyers for the president position. He spent some time in the offices in Philadelphia before becoming a Senior Advisor for the Florida Panthers from 2017-18 to 2019-20. He was also named Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations in 2019-20. Pronger also spent some time with the NHL Department of Player Safety in a support position to Stephane Quintal, which drew the ire of many considering he was still being employed by the Flyers.
Scott Mellanby was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers and spent his first 6 seasons in the NHL with Philadelphia. From 1991-92 to 2006-07 he spent time in Edmonton, Florida, St. Louis, and Atlanta, while captaining the Panthers and the Thrashers for a combined 6 years. After his playing career ended, he took on a scouting job with the Vancouver Canucks in 2008-09, and then a Senior Advisor position the following season. From 2010-11 to 2011-12 he was an assistant coach for the Blues, from 2012-13 to 2013-14 he was the director of player personnel for the Montreal Canadiens, he then became an assistant general manager for the Canadiens from 2014-15 to 2021-22 – while also overseeing their AHL affiliate in Laval from 2018-19 to 2021-22 – and has most recently taken up a job with the Blues again but in a Senior Advisor position.
The former captain of the Flyers between 1984-85-1989-90, Dave Poulin enjoyed his best years in Philadelphia before pit stops in Boston and Washington. After his playing career ended in 1994-95, he immediately jumped back in the pool as the head coach of his alma mater in the University of Notre Dame from 1995-96 to 2004-05. He was then hired as a scout for the Anaheim Ducks in 2006-07 and 2008-09, before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as VP of Hockey Operations from 2009-10 to 2013-14. He was also the general manager of their AHL affiliate in 2012-13 and 2013-14. He has since been working on TSN as an analyst and broadcaster and has been most recently broadcasting Ottawa Senators games.
One of the most experienced of the aforementioned bunch is none other than Ray Shero, son of former Flyers Stanley Cup-winning head coach, Fred Shero. He spent 5 years between 1993-94 and 1997-98 as assistant general manager for the Senators, and then he spent the following 8 years as the assistant general manager for the Nashville Predators before finally getting the illustrious general manager position that he always sought after. He was named executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006-07 and served all the way until 2013-14 with a Stanley Cup to his name. He was hired for the same exact positions by the New Jersey Devils in 2015-16 and served all the way until 2019-20. He was then hired as a Senior Advisor for the Minnesota Wild in 2021-22 and is currently still employed.
Another experienced name that has drawn some interest lately has been that of Doug Wilson. Both the Penguins and Flyers are rumoured to have interest in Wilson, a man who spent parts of 4 decades in the front offices of the San Jose Sharks from 1997-98 to 2021-22. Wilson was first hired as director of player personnel in 1997-98 and had that position until 2002-03 when he was named assistant coach of the Sharks. The following season he was named executive vice president of hockey operations and general manager and held both positions simultaneously from 2003-04 to 2016-17. He was then let go as executive vice president of hockey operations but kept the general manager title until 2021-22. He had to step down from the position to focus on his health as he was dealing with a non-COVID related illness for months. He had already taken a leave of absence in 2021 but the condition didn’t get any better so he permanently stepped down as Mike Grier took over. He was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2020, won the Norris Trophy in 1982, played in 0ver 1,000 games, and had over 800 points before becoming of the longest tenured general managers in the league.
Eric Lindros has also drawn interest and a return to Philadelphia has been in the cards for some time now. It’s not strictly stated that he’s looking for the position of president of hockey operations, but there could be a good chance that he gets hired in some capacity.
