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10 things we learned from Ron Hextall’s post-firing Flyers press conference

Ron​ Hextall’s​ time as​ general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers​ officially ended a little​ after 10:30​ a.m.​ ET on​ Monday. Unofficially,​​ however, it felt like Friday’s press conference in a meeting room at a nearby hotel marked the real conclusion to his tenure.

Over the course of about an hour, Hextall broke down all aspects of the situation — the firing, his view of the disconnect that led to it, his regrets, his thoughts on the organization as a whole — with admirable candor. A tone of sadness hung in the air — it marked the last time for the foreseeable future that the longtime Flyers goalie would be even tangentially connected with the organization. But Hextall was never anything less than professional in describing his side of “what went wrong.”

1: Stages of contention and whether it was ‘go time’

The overarching theme of Paul Holmgren and Dave Scott’s decision to fire Hextall could be boiled down to two words: philosophical differences. The duo understandably danced around the exact nature of those differences in their press conference Tuesday, but they made it clear that they felt it was time to push more chips to the middle of the table, while Hextall wasn’t quite ready to do so, at least not in a way that matched their desired aggressiveness. On Friday, Hextall went into detail in describing exactly why his vision for the team differed.

“Where we started four and a quarter years ago, there’s kind of three stages,” he explained. “The first stage for me was cleaning up the salary cap, then you kind of move to the stage where it’s a little bit in-between of how many young players are in the lineup and growing as a team and getting better, then there’s the third stage where it’s like, ‘OK, it’s go time right now.’ I didn’t feel right now that we were at ‘go time.’ I didn’t feel like (compared to) the Winnipegs and the Nashvilles and the Tampas, I didn’t feel that we were quite there.”

Yet Hextall maintained, despite his belief that it wasn’t time to turn the aggressiveness knob up to “10,” that he wasn’t sitting on his hands, either. Nor had he been opposed philosophically to the idea of trading young pieces in “win-now” moves.

“Was I open to moving prospects and/or young players for players who could help this season and beyond? Absolutely,” Hextall said. “We had some talks in the works at the time, numerous (talks).

“You never know if you’re close. I can assure you that I was being aggressive. The season started, the first 10 games, and we had some heavy conversations then with other teams. And then the other teams went like this (wavered) and they’d back off; that’s sort of the way it goes. And then, you get to the 20-game mark and all of a sudden it gets back to the same thing, where, ‘All right, we’re all looking now and we need to be better here.’ We were one of those teams. It wasn’t a large group that is in the same situation as us — probably underachieving is a fair word. But you look at those teams and you talk, and see if something works out. So we did have some active conversations.”

If Hextall had one recurring mantra in the presser that he kept bringing up in support of his side of the story, it was that he had no interest in trading away a youngster for a player in his mid 30s. Hextall made that point four separate times throughout his availability, and it played as one of two possibilities: an attempt to garner sympathy by portraying his actual hard-line position as merely trying to avoid obviously foolish youth-for-vet trades, or a strong implication that he was pushed to make such moves and that his righteous unwillingness to cave contributed to his downfall. Which one you believe more, likely speaks to whether you view Hextall as a wronged victim or someone who deserved his dismissal.

2: Why did Hextall roll with Elliott/Neuvirth as his tandem?

The Flyers have been a team with many problems in 2018-19. But for all of their issues, an NHL-low 0.879 save percentage has to be at the top of the list. Hextall’s plan to enter the season with a tandem of Brian Elliott — who was coming off two surgeries since February — and Michal Neuvirth (who is a perpetual injury-risk) ended up being a disaster, and surely played a role in his firing, if only because the time that both netminders missed forced other goalies lower on the depth chart into action, who invariably struggled in their appearances, dragging down the overall results of the team.

Knowing Elliott’s recent surgery history and Neuvirth’s poor injury luck, why didn’t Hextall go in a different direction over the summer? Instead of rolling with his same tandem from 2017-18 and crossing his fingers, why didn’t he do more than just hope that it didn’t turn into a debacle?

“The first thing you do is look around,” he said. “Is there something we can upgrade? (Andrei) Vasilevskiy’s not available, (Braden) Holtby’s not available. So, you’re not really going to get a top guy. So, do you sign someone or do you trade for someone that is in the range (talent-wise) of the guys that you have?”

The easy answer is yes, when the more important of your two guys is a 33-year-old coming off two surgeries in the seven months leading up to training camp, and the other can’t really be relied upon as a fallback option. Hextall, however, felt in the summer that Elliott’s recent history wouldn’t hold him back in 2018-19.

“It’s easy to look back in hindsight and say Ells got hurt,” Hextall noted. “I didn’t expect Ells to get hurt. He doesn’t have a history of being hurt. Everybody talks about the two injuries and the two surgeries, but they were tied together. So you really had one injury — the abdomen comes because of the hip. He got that one fixed so he could play last year. He could have gone in and had them both fixed and been ready for September, but he wanted to play at the end of the year.”

As for Neuvirth, Hextall acknowledged that signing him back in February 2017 was a risk due to his injury history, but argued that his “huge” upside made it a worthwhile gamble, calling him “right up there with the top few guys in the league in terms of ability.” My guess is that by the time the summer of 2018 rolled around, Hextall had come to the conclusion that the Neuvirth risk wasn’t likely to pay off, but by then, Neuvirth still had one year left on his deal, and I assume Hextall simply thought he was stuck with him. That’s how the plan for distributing goalie duties for the coming season became an all-hands-on-deck effort, but one that clearly centered around Elliott driving the bus. Once he proved unable to do so, the bus ran off the road.

“In hindsight, should we have tried to sign a goalie? There wasn’t a lot out there,” Hextall maintained. “Do you sign another guy who is average or below average? It doesn’t make a lot of sense. We felt like Ells, if he played 50 games, and then between Neuvy and (Alex) Lyon or Stolie (Anthony Stolarz) or however it worked out, hopefully they play 30 games for us. We felt Carter (Hart), would he be ready by December or January? He might be. You’re trying to plan, but nothing is exact in life.”

3: Clarity on Hextall’s view of analytics

Early in the presser, when running through a list of achievements as Flyers GM that made him proud, Hextall took care to note the creation of an analytics department before anything else. That wasn’t a coincidence.

During his tenure, Hextall did his best to keep his front office’s forays into advanced metrics as quiet as possible, but the Flyers certainly were active when it came to stats. Under Hextall, the organization had two full-time employees dedicated to analytics, and also regularly hired consultants well-known in the public sphere to provide insights for finite stretches of time. One such consultant was Micah Blake McCurdy, owner and operator of HockeyViz.com, though he wasn’t the only one.

Some teams have been more public about their embrace of advanced stat hires and thinking than the Flyers were under Hextall. Why did he prefer to keep things quiet?

“You’re trying to get an advantage there,” he explained. “You’re not gonna go telling everybody what you do because then they do it. Are we ahead of teams? I felt like we were, but I’m not gonna sit and discuss it. We had two guys on our staff and (we) actually (were) talking about hiring a third.”

Hextall also explained what he viewed as the limitations of analytics, even as he acknowledged their importance.

“How big a piece — you’ve got to be careful there,” he pointed out. “Good performances, good players, good chemistry lead to good analytics. So, you got a good team, they’re playing a system, they’re probably gonna have good analytics. So you’ve got to be careful how much, but it’s definitely an interesting piece. It really makes you think. You go, ‘OK, what do we have to get better at?’ Coaches know a lot. Coaches know a lot and you start talking about something and they already knew it. (But) it is a piece. It’s an interesting piece.”

That being said, Hextall closed out the conversation expressing his own personal enjoyment when it came to looking into the numbers, even dropping a well-known (in the analytics community) rate stat now used to measure individual player scoring unprompted in the conversation, hinting that he wasn’t at all a neophyte to the current nomenclature, before telling a story of better days between himself and the man who fired him earlier this week.

“Personally, I love looking at the analytics and trying to figure things out,” he acknowledged. “I’ve always had an analytic mind. Back actually when I was here scouting, I used to do points per game. I didn’t do Points/60 (minutes), but I used to literally do it on my own.

“People (like) Homer would look at me and (go), ‘What the hell are you doing?’ ‘Nothing. Nothing.’ A guy had 80 points. ‘Yeah, but he only played 67 games so he had point-whatever-whatever.’ Math was my favorite subject in school so I’ve always been interested in that stuff. It’s always been a piece. You can’t overuse it because there’s the passion in the game and you need to create passion and if you have robots as players, that passion goes. You have to be careful but it’s a good piece.”

4: Why was the penalty kill not addressed in the offseason?

Aside from the goaltending (particularly after Elliott went down), Philadelphia’s biggest statistical weakness so far in 2018-19 has been the performance of the penalty kill, which currently ranks 30th in the NHL with a 70.9 percent efficiency rate. It wasn’t very good last season, either, finishing 29th at a 75.8 percent success rate. Yet Hextall made no major additions to the PK personnel in the offseason, nor did he relieve the assistant coach in charge of the unit, Ian Laperriere, from his position. Did he regret not doing more to address the problem?

“Yeah, it’s a great question, and yes. The answer to that is yes,” he confessed. “We tried. We actually tried like hell in the summer to trade a certain player for a penalty killer. We almost signed Daniel Winnik. We ended up not, because of the roster spot, who’s out, then you start looking at 14 forwards.”

Winnik, who ended up signing in Switzerland for the 2018-19 season, was once a solid NHL bottom-six forward, but his performance by play-driving metrics sagged last season — there’s a reason I had him in the “good PKer, bad at 5-on-5” section of my piece on unrestricted free agents who the Flyers should avoid back in June. The Flyers eventually did just that, partially because they felt they had a younger and better player to Winnik in their own system.

“Yeah, I wish I would have been able to do something there to address that, but we did feel like Corban Knight – you guys haven’t seen him (much), but he’s a pretty good penalty killer, he’s a really smart player, he’s a right shot, really good faceoff guy,” Hextall explained. “So we felt like that was an upgrade. And we felt like (Christian) Folin, another right shot on D. So we felt like we did a little bit. I would have liked to do more.”

As for Laperriere, Hextall held to his previously stated belief that the PK had turned a corner over the final quarter of 2017-18, which apparently was enough to convince him that the former Flyer deserved to keep his job for one more season.

“Well, I think I talked about this, the last 22, 23 games last year, we changed some things structurally, and our penalty kill was pretty good. In the end, that was the tipping point for me to say, OK, let’s keep it together, and I guess you can look now and …” Hextall trailed off, essentially acknowledging that in retrospect, a coaching change probably would have been the right move.

More than anything else, it was this admission that leads me to believe that Hextall truly did think his job was safe. If he knows now it was likely a mistake to give Laperriere another year, yet was not willing to fire his assistant coach prior to being fired himself, the obvious implication is that he didn’t think his own job security was in jeopardy, and therefore the immediate removal of Laperriere wasn’t necessary. It proved a major miscalculation.

5: Hextall wasn’t close on contracts with Provorov or Simmonds

Obviously, everything changes with regards to both situations with Hextall now out of the picture. But it remains interesting to learn where his front office was in terms of re-upping Ivan Provorov — a pending restricted free agent come next July — and Wayne Simmonds, who could test unrestricted free agency in less than a year.

Rumors have flown recently that there existed animosity between Hextall and Provorov’s agent over the direction of talks, but Hextall denied that speculation. Still, he did acknowledge that the two sides were far apart, despite Hextall working at finalizing a contract throughout the summer of 2018, across 10-to-15 conversations with Provorov’s agent.

“Three months on and off and we couldn’t come to middle ground. It was absolutely no animosity. There was nothing,” Hextall claimed. “I wanted to get it done and I think they wanted to get it done. There wasn’t a middle ground there. OK, let’s let the year play out and then we’ll talk about it again. He’s got a year left and he’s restricted, but to me, I didn’t feel comfortable giving him a number (he wanted) and he didn’t feel comfortable taking the number (I wanted).”

As for Simmonds, it sure didn’t sound like if Hextall remained general manager, the Wayne Train was going to be re-signing in Philadelphia. Noting that the two sides were “ways apart,” Hextall said that it wasn’t just contract length where the two parties disagreed — they also had a difference of opinion on Simmonds’ yearly cap value as well. It seemed like the gap was going to be difficult to bridge, according to Hextall’s comments. We’ll see if the new general manager comes to a similar conclusion.

6: Hexy apoplectic regarding Hakstol’s unpopularity

Hextall certainly had his detractors in Philadelphia, but most fans’ ire seemed to be directed toward his head coach of choice, Dave Hakstol. It’s an animosity that Hextall never seemed to understand, and he reiterated that on Friday.

“I thought Hak was really going to fit in well here because he’s so driven,” Hextall explained. “His drive is off the charts. He wants to get better every day. Our coaches get home at 2 in the morning and it’s like, ‘OK, what time to we get in tomorrow?’ And they’d all be in at 8 o’clock. That staff, they friggin’ worked hard. And like I said, I have the ultimate respect for Hak and he’s got the ultimate respect around this league.”

Fans obviously have been frustrated with the recent on-ice results of the team, and the head coach is the easiest person to blame in that regard. But complaints regarding Hakstol’s lineups, treatment of young players, demeanor, and tactical tendencies all have been cited by detractors as reasons for the hate sent his way on social media and on the airwaves. Hextall’s point in response? The only coach he hired may not be Mr. Popularity in Philadelphia, but talk to hockey people around the league, and you’ll hear a totally different story from them.

“Dave Hakstol is one of the hardest-working people I know,” Hextall said of his 2015 hire who now sits on thin ice in the wake of his greatest defender’s exit from the organization. “He’s got a lot of respect around the league. You’d be shocked when I talk to my colleagues how much respect he has.”

7: Team could have used more energy, Hextall said

Near the end of the post-press conference scrum, Hextall felt the need to get something off his chest regarding this incarnation of the Philadelphia Flyers, changing the topic on his own to get a point across that had clearly been weighing on him.

“The one thing I felt we needed with this team was a little more juice, a little more energy, a little more … a player or two that could grind it out and grit and piss people off,” Hextall said. “That was one of the things we were on the lookout for too, a little more sandpaper.”

Reading between the lines, this is likely the reason why Hextall repeatedly recalled Tyrell Goulbourne in the wake of bad losses, despite the 24-year-old’s obvious skill-based limitations. Goulbourne brought something to the table that the GM clearly believed the roster lacked.

8: Hextall praises Konecny, Allison

When asked why he didn’t go out an acquire a player who fit the “energy/juice” bill, Hextall responded that he tried to add one like that, but they are few and far between, and tend to get paid extra because the character trait is so unique and desirable in today’s NHL. One reporter noted that the Flyers do have players in the organization who flash that attribute, and Hextall quickly realized the player the reporter had in mind

“Well, Konecny’s like that. He’s a little piss-pot,” Hextall said with his largest grin of the day on his face. “He’s freakin’ terrific. When he pisses the other team’s general manager off up in the (GM) box, you know he’s good at it.”

Prospect Wade Allison was also brought up in the scrum as a player with the potential to fit that bill, and Hextall agreed, giving him a new nickname as well, one clearly out of admiration and affection (in addition to referencing his hair color): “Big red train.” Don’t forget that one when he inevitably hits the NHL.

9: Why the final press conference?

It’s important to note that Hextall was under no obligation to hold a full media press conference on Friday — it was his call to do so. Understandably, he was asked if he hoped to achieve anything by speaking publicly so soon after being fired by the Flyers, if his aim was to change the narrative or tell his side of the story.

“No. I came here today because I felt like I owed it to you people (the media). I felt like I owed it to the fans and, I guess selfishly, (I wanted) a little bit of closure. Those are the three reasons I’m standing here right now. It had nothing to do with whatever.”

To be fair, even if it wasn’t a primary intent, speaking to the media on Friday did serve to give Hextall a bit more control over the narrative surrounding his departure. He addressed some of the more salacious stories that have popped up in the wake of his ouster and tried to put them in perspective, such as his supposed poor treatment of team alumni, lack of collaboration with front office personnel outside of his inner circle, and even his strict control over food served to players.

Hextall didn’t outright deny any of the points, but instead did his best to put the claims into a perspective that makes him seem less like a power-hungry dictator and more a manager trying to do what he felt was best for his team and his players. Considering Hextall likely has designs on getting back into the hockey world at some point, shooting down narratives that he deemed unfair was understandably important to him.

The press conference also gave him a chance to craft his final words to describe his tenure, and while the below comments didn’t close out the availability session, they felt like the spiritual conclusion to his time as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers. Time will tell whether his optimism regarding his work proves justified.

“Quite honestly, I’m proud of my four-and-a-quarter years here. We worked hard. The scouting staff, the management team, the minor league coaches and all the players. We worked hard and I feel like we accomplished a lot. We created an analytics department, we created a sports science department, we had the gym built, we had the development area built, we accomplished a lot of things. And a lot of those things don’t show above the water. It’s like a duck, you’re paddling like crazy but you don’t really see the results. But I feel like some of the results are starting to show themselves with some of the young players. I’m proud of what we accomplished in terms of building a team and building a foundation. I feel they’re in a great place.”

10: My final thoughts on Ron Hextall, GM

My view of Hextall’s tenure as general manager, on the whole, is positive. Hextall gave himself and the rest of his front office clear goals — get the organization out of salary cap hell, build up the prospect pool to an enviable degree, and positioned the club for future success. He clearly achieved Goals 1 & 2, and while the jury is still out on 3, the emerging young core looks very promising. The Flyers are obviously in a far better place now than when Hextall took over as GM back in 2014.

If anything, I just wish Hextall would have been willing to “play the game” a little bit more. His overarching philosophy was sound and got results based on his goals, but at times, it did seem like he struggled to grasp just how fundamental of a shift he was trying to implement when it came to the Flyers’ core nature. Flyers fans were trained for 40+ years to expect a constant win-now approach to team building. Those within the Flyers family grew accustomed to being treated like gold by the people in charge. Changing the focus to a very long view and creating a more insular organization — even if there were very good reasons for doing both — proved extremely jarring for many invested in the team. A general manager needs to keep that in mind, even as an overarching plan is executed.

I’m not saying that Hextall should have conformed entirely. What made him successful was his willingness to buck the conventions of the organization, an organization that clearly struggled to adapt its “old ways” to the salary cap era prior to Hextall’s arrival. Yet in order to keep everyone happy (and simply because at times it was the right thing to do), Hextall probably could have been a bit less “unyielding,” to use the word of choice from Holmgren and Scott at their Tuesday presser.

Maybe it wouldn’t have been the end of the world if Hextall had relinquished a second-round pick and a C-level prospect for Michael Grabner or Ian Cole at the 2018 trade deadline instead of saving the pick for Adam Ginning in June, just to show fans that the front office still cared about loading up a bit for a playoff run, even if a Stanley Cup was unlikely to be the result. Maybe if Hextall had replaced Laperriere over the summer rather than remain convinced that the assistant coach had finally, after years of poor results, figured things out, he’d (in addition to likely improving the PK) have convinced Holmgren and Scott that he’d be willing to respond to struggles like the ones that set in last weekend, and that it wasn’t truly a “if we want something to happen, we’ll have to fire him because he’s not going to do anything otherwise” scenario. And maybe he could have spent a bit more time coddling the alumni and front office personnel who apparently spent the last few days criticizing him off-the-record to media members.

There’s a chance that none of those actions would have saved him anyway, and perhaps Hextall will eventually come to the conclusion that he was right to not even slightly compromise his vision to increase short-term job security. But I suspect after the pain of the past few days subsides for him, he’ll take away lessons from his time with the Flyers and emerge as a more complete front office candidate in the future.

I believe that in five years — assuming the next GM doesn’t come in and blow things up via sheer incompetence — the Flyers’ fanbase will remember Hextall fondly because his process eventually bore fruit and helped to create a yearly contender in Philadelphia. And if that happens, my guess is that Hextall will get another shot as a general manager elsewhere, and he’ll last past the four-and-a-quarter year mark in that new locale with ease.