Theu200b Philadelphia Flyers dropped a bombu200b onu200b Monday,u200b announcingu200b thatu200b GMu200b Ron Hextallu200b had been firedu200b midway through hisu200b fifthu200b season on theu200bu200b job. The move comes as a shock, partly because of Hextall’s long history with the franchise and partly because many figured that coach Dave Hakstol would be the first to go.
But there’s another reason the Hextall firing caught so many of us off guard: It’s extremely rare to see a team change its GM midway through a season. Putting a roster together is a big job, one that’s even harder to do when you don’t start until late November.