Count Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher among those who are less than enthused about how the team’s 2020-21 campaign shook out.
"I can't live through another year like last year. It took years off my life and everybody else's. It's not worth it," Fletcher said, according to the Associated Press' Stephen Whyno.
The Flyers finished second in the Metropolitan Division during the 2019-20 campaign and made it to the second round of the playoffs. Philadelphia looked primed for similar success the following year, but instead, the club ended up sixth in the realigned East Division and failed to qualify for the postseason.
As a result, Fletcher saw a need to shake things up in a major way.
"At the end of the last season, I vowed that we would make changes and that it was unacceptable, and I think I was true to my word," he said. "We were aggressively looking to change our team. We've made a lot of changes. We like to think we've upgraded our club, and time will tell."
Among the most notable additions to the Flyers’ roster are defensemen Ryan Ellis, Keith Yandle, and Rasmus Ristolainen, forward Cam Atkinson, and goaltender Martin Jones. Meanwhile, Nolan Patrick, Philippe Myers, Robert Hagg, Shayne Gostisbehere, Jakub Voracek, and Brian Elliott are no longer reporting for duty in Philly.
The Flyers' offseason business didn't stop there - on Thursday, the team signed franchise mainstay Sean Couturier to an eight-year, $62 million extension.
"Sean's our best hockey player right now, and he's the key guy. And if Sean had left, that would've changed the direction of the franchise," Fletcher said of the deal. "To lock him up was incredibly important for the short and long term."
In addition to turning things around, Fletcher and the organization also have captain Claude Giroux's future to think about. The 33-year-old forward will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.
"At this point, our plan is to play the season out, and we'll talk at the end of the season. I think we're both comfortable with that," Fletcher said, per NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "Claude is our captain, he's a great player, and I'm sure we'll find a way to continue that relationship going forward."
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