Flyers' Hextall issues threat: 'If we don't get it going, we're going to ... start thinking about some things'
Rookie Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall knows his team isn't built to contend, but that doesn't mean he's not disappointed in how they've performed through the first half of the season.
Currently mired in a five-game losing streak, the Flyers sit 25th in the NHL in point percentage and are struggling in all phases of the game save for their still-dynamic power play.
The struggling club is reaching a point of no return, according to Hextall, who delivered his players a "shape up or ship out" type message through the press this week.
"We're not at the point where we're looking at getting rid of guys, but I would say that probably we're not far from the point where if we don't get it going, we're going to have to start thinking about some things," Hextall told CSNPhilly.com's Tim Panaccio.
"In saying that, you look at those things all the time. Every day, who can help us now and who can help us in the future. If there is anything out there, then we will move forward with it. Obviously, we're not happy with the performance of the team."
If Hextall is convinced to make moves, don't expect them to be of the short-term variety. From Panaccio:
"My plan and thoughts with this franchise moving forward are no different than last summer," Hextall said, meaning he still intends to show patience in allowing players to develop at their own pace.
"We are going to continue to go down that path. Is it going to be altered if we continue to go the way we are? Probably a little bit."
Hextall also said that if the Flyers get themselves back into the playoff picture, he would not trade younger players for older players and short-term fixes.
Hextall, who apprenticed under data-driven Dean Lombardi with the Los Angeles Kings organization, clearly knows what he's dealing with in Philadelphia.
As for what he wants to see from his players, Hextall pointed to the mental side of the game.
"We've got to be mentally stronger as a group," Hextall said. "We've got to come out with consistent effort and also consistent performance and that's the biggest thing I've seen. There's nights where we're not on our game or simplifying the game and we don’t look like a very good team."
If the Flyers don't look like a very good team, that's probably because they're not one. At least Hextall is under no illusions.
- with h/t to Pro Hockey Talk