The New Jersey Devils have recently appointed Chuck Fletcher, the former controversial GM of the Philadelphia Flyers, as a senior adviser to GM Tom Fitzgerald.
The response from Devils fans has been varied, given Fletcher's contentious history. As the son of the esteemed NHL executive Cliff Fletcher, Chuck has had significant expectations to meet, but his career has not lived up to the high standards set by his father.
#NEWS: We've added Chuck Fletcher, Andy Greene and Manny Legace to our Hockey Operations staff.
Chuck Fletcher was the GM of the Minnesota Wild from 2009 to 2018, a period marked by mediocrity and inconsistency. He then took the helm with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2018 to 2023, which also proved underwhelming, failing to produce a winning formula. Fletcher is criticized by Philadelphia fans for leaving current GM Daniel Briere with a roster in disarray, which needed extensive rebuilding.
Fletcher's signings, including Kevin Hayes, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Sean Couturier, Joel Farabee, and Anthony DeAngelo, have been widely criticized as poor decisions by experts and Flyers fans alike. With a reputation tarnished in both Philadelphia and Minnesota, Fletcher will need to work hard to win over the New Jersey fan base.