Former Flyers GM Fletcher Takes On New Role with Rival Devils

Former Philadelphia Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher has now embarked on his next venture in the NHL, joining Metropolitan Division rival New Jersey Devils as a Senior Advisor to the President, Hockey Operations, and General Manager.

Fletcher, 57, served as the Flyers’ general manager from Dec. 3, 2018, until his dismissal from the organization on March 10, 2023.

Some of Fletcher’s most notable transactions during his Flyers tenure include trading Anthony Stolarz for Cam Talbot, sending beloved fan-favorite Wayne Simmonds to Nashville, acquiring and subsequently re-signing Kevin Hayes to a massive contract, trading a second- and third-round pick for Justin Braun, trading down to draft Cam York, moving Nolan Patrick and Philippe Myers for Ryan Ellis, swapping Jakub Voracek for Cam Atkinson, parting ways with a king’s ransom for Rasmus Ristolainen and, perhaps most importantly, acquiring Owen Tippett and other assets from Florida in the Claude Giroux trade.

With the exception of drafting York, which was mostly up to the discretion of assistant general manager Brent Flahr, and the addition of Tippett, almost none of Fletcher’s bold moves panned out for the Flyers, hence why he is both no longer with the team and no longer an NHL general manager, at least for now.

Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald has ties with Fletcher dating back to their days with the Pittsburgh Penguins, where Fletcher was an assistant general manager before taking the reins of the Minnesota Wild in 2009. Fitzgerald was the Penguins’ director of player development for two years under Fletcher.

Former Devils general manager Ray Shero, who was in charge of both Fitzgerald and Fletcher in Pittsburgh at the time, now presides over the Wild as a senior advisor, similar to what Fletcher will now be doing in New Jersey.

Shero’s son, Kyle, has worked as a scout for the Flyers organization for the last two seasons. How about all of those connections?