Ron Hextall became the seventh general manager in Philadelphia Flyers history when he was promoted on May 7, 2014. He filled the void left by his predecessor, Paul Holmgren, who was “moved up” to team President — a reward earned, seemingly, 22 days earlier when Holmgren re-signed Andrew MacDonald, for whom he’d already surrendered two draft picks, to a pact worth $30 million over six years.
It is from that hole the 1987 Conn Smythe Trophy-winning net minder turned front office executive had to dig the orange and black out -- one deepened through years of moving draft picks for “win now” veterans, and over-paying former stars for past performance in hopes of winning the franchise’s third Stanley Cup, a feat that has now eluded the organization for 41 consecutive seasons.