Flyers president Paul Holmgren found himself in an unusual spot this summer: Part of a quorum deciding whether the Flyers should go after free agent James van Riemsdyk — a player he once traded away for what turned out to be very little, a trade he grew to regret over the final seasons of his eight as Flyers general manager.
Despite the unflattering narrative that often accompanies those years, Holmgren was not a bad general manager. He picked up Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen for a draft pick. His unpopular trade of Mike Richards netted Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn (which in turn netted touted prospect Morgan Frost).