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Philadelphia Flyers Fans Are On The Verge Of Becoming The Joker After Their Horrible Offseason Continues

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The Philadelphia Flyers are an abject disaster. The team is now 12 years removed from making the Stanley Cup Finals. In the time, since Philadelphia has won just three playoff series’ and won just one since 2013. The organization just had to unload franchise cornerstone Claude Giroux for little to nothing at the NHL trade deadline, and it’s only gotten worse.

In the face of one of their worst seasons in recent history, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher said the team would pursue an “aggressive retool” in the offseason. What exactly that meant, nobody knows. Philadelphia had very little cap room, middling draft assets and not much talent at the NHL or major league level.

Injuries have only made things worse. Superstar defenseman Ryan Ellis, who the team traded for just last season, played just four games in 2021-22 due to injury. Now there’s talk that he and his $6.25 million contract could miss the start of next season and well beyond. Rising star Joel Farabee just had major back surgery. First-line center Sean Couturier is also recovering from back surgery. Generally, the organization is stuck in purgatory.

Fletcher Makes Controversial Draft Trade

The Flyers already had scant few draft picks. But Fletcher doubled down on that move when he traded for controversial defenseman Tony D’Angelo. Fletcher gave up a trio of draft picks to acquire the rights to D’Angelo, who was an impended restricted free agent. He then doubled down by giving him a two-year, $5 million deal. That locked $10 million of Philadelphia’s already precious cap space in D’Angelo and Rasmus Ristolainen, two of the worst defensemen in the league according to advanced metrics.

Flyers Miss Out On Landing Hometown NHL All-Star

The lack of cap space also kept the Flyers from landing a superstar in free agency. Six-time NHL All-Star Johnny Gaudreau grew up less than an hour from Philadelphia and reportedly wanted to return after leaving the Calgary Flames in free agency.

But the Flyers don’t have the cap space to sign Gaudreau. Fletcher was reportedly hesitant to attach a draft pick to winger James van Riemsdyk in order to shed his $7 million cap hit.

Gaudreau is now reportedly choosing between a pair of Philadelphia’s rivals, the New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils.

Fletcher Brings Back Dead Wood And Signs Fighter

To top it all off, Fletcher made a pair of extremely underwhelming moves to open up the free agency period.

https://twitter.com/ntrider825/status/1547290212858056706?s=20&t=WnAhD2Us089Hr21jwVCzMw

To nobody’s surprise, Philadelphia fans are losing their minds.

Philly fans, we love you and we are here for you.