Clarke criticizes ex-Flyers GM Hextall for passing on Makar in 2017
Ron Hextall still holds an NHL front-office job as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but Flyers legend and longtime executive Bobby Clarke sure seems glad that Hextall's tenure in Philadelphia is over.
"(Hextall) made some huge mistakes. ... He made himself bigger than the team. That is something I would never ever have thought of with Hexy, because he was such a team player," Clarke, a senior adviser for the Flyers, said during an appearance on "The Cam & Strick Podcast" on Monday.
Clarke added, "We've got two or three first-round picks that are never gonna play. That's why we're struggling."
The 2017 draft especially stands out for the Hall of Famer.
"We get the second pick in the draft, we end up drafting Nolan Patrick," Clarke said. "None of our scouts wanted Nolan Patrick. ... They wanted (Cale) Makar. ... Hextall made that choice himself."
Patrick played 197 games with the Flyers and put up 70 points during a stint that was mired by injuries. He was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights as part of a three-team deal in July.
The Colorado Avalanche, meanwhile, selected Makar fourth overall, and the talented blue-liner looks poised to challenge for the Norris Trophy every season.
Clarke also questioned Hextall's decision to trade Brayden Schenn to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Jori Lehtera, a conditional 2018 first-round pick, and the 27th overall pick, which the Flyers then used to select Morgan Frost during that same draft.
"That was just as bad. ... I sat at the table three seats away from him when he traded Schenn," Clarke said. "Didn't have a clue."
Hextall was named general manager of the Flyers in 2014 and was fired in 2018. The team didn't enjoy much success with the 57-year-old at the helm; the Flyers reached the playoffs twice but failed to advance past the first round.
"When (former team president) Paul Holmgren hired him, I thought it was the best decision that he could have made," Clarke said. "When Hexy came in - we remain friends, but he alienated everybody right away. He shut his door, he locked the doors. He was the boss, and nobody else was part of it."
Hextall played 13 seasons in the NHL as a goaltender, mostly with the Flyers. The Penguins hired him as general manager in February.