By Emily Palladinetti
The trade deadline has come and gone and Flyers’ GM Chuck Fletcher has seriously underwhelmed his fan base.
His predictable move to trade longtime forward Wayne Simmonds broke many fans’ hearts.
But it was the return on Simmonds that has sparked outrage.
He got Ryan Hartman, who endeared himself to Flyers fans last night in the win over the Sabres by decking two opponents even before the fans settled in at the Wells.
But Fletcher was only able to pry a conditional 2020 fourth-round draft pick which will become a third round pick if Nashville wins a playoff series, which they should.
There were rumors that Fletcher was asking for a first-rounder in exchange for Simmonds, and the most talked about landing spots were Toronto and Boston.
Nashville seems to be a bit of a shock to everyone, including Simmonds himself. The only bright spot is that he will be reunited with former coach Peter Laviolette whom he credits with shaping him into the player that he has become.
The question that seems to be on everyone’s mind now is:
Why was there such a low return on a player that was supposedly so sought after?
Fletcher better explain.
One can only hope that he makes some serious moves in the offseason to help build a better core around rookie goaltender Carter Hart.
