Flyers’ Vigneault Enters Make-or-Break Season

In an interview with Flyers Daily, Vigneault emphasized accountability for last season’s performance and the desire to make up for it on the ice this season given the retooled roster. 

“Chuck (Fletcher) and his staff, they’ve done their job. Now it’s up to me and my staff and our players to do our’s.”

-Alain Vigneault

Fletcher has certainly given Vigneault more to work with in 2021-22. He added a top-pair, right-handed defenseman in Ellis. He added intensity and grit with Atkinson and Ristolainen. He brought in better veteran depth leadership with players like Yandle. Most importantly, he backed Vigneault despite the reports of “some players who were unhappy with the coaching staff” at the end of last season. His moves suggest that the responsibility for the failure of the 2020-21 season falls more so on the players than the coaching staff.

Vigneault is now faced with the job of discovering the right blend of chemistry within the new unit over the course of the season. It will be no easy task, and Flyers fans shouldn’t expect instant results in the opening weeks of the season. However, the collection of accomplished veterans and players with strong reputations as good teammates should help the Flyers form a unique identity on and off the ice.

Now or Never for Vigneault, Flyers

The infusion of talent and the expected return to normalcy in an 82-game season eliminates any legitimacy of the excuses that were made for the 2020-21 season moving forward. Charlie O’Connor spoke on the Broad Street Hockey podcast about Vigneault heading into 2021-22, saying:

“He really needs to turn this thing around. If he doesn’t, the heat’s going to go on him. They already did everything else except change the coaching staff.”

-Charlie O’Connor

The reality of the situation is not lost on Vigneault, who is entering his 19th season as an NHL head coach. He knows that job security is hard to maintain in the demanding, results-driven environment of the NHL. The message that he gives his team during training camp will likely focus on the clean slate in front of them and the opportunity to correct the issues that snowballed during the 2020-21 season.

His young players, in particular, didn’t meet expectations last season. Goaltender Carter Hart, winger Travis Konecny, and defenseman Ivan Provorov were among the biggest disappointments on the team. Vigneault recognizes their shortcomings in conjunction with his own and the need to regroup.

“I firmly believe that the season we had as a group last year doesn’t represent who we are.”

-Alain Vigneault

The statement was a strong expression of confidence in himself, his staff, and his players. His willingness to accept the shortcomings and move forward represents the right approach to failure, but comments made during preseason press conferences don’t determine whether or not an NHL head coach will remain in his position. The on-ice product and the job Vigneault does to manage it will ultimately prove or disprove his future as the Flyers’ head coach.