I like Alain Vigneault so far. Not as much of a fan of Chuck Fletcher, who overpaid for Kevin Hayes in free agency and Matt Niskanen and Justin Braun via trades, but he's not been terrible. The key questions for the Flyers coming up will be:
1. Do they look to trade Jake Voracek? He's productive, but overpaid, and their financial situation demands more middle-six minutes go to cheaper, younger players at this point. One alternative would be holding on to him in hopes that Seattle takes him in the expansion draft since he has an NMC, but that's a risk at his salary and with two more years gone by.
2. Is Nolan Patrick done? He's had concussions, now he has migraines, and his status is essentially "out indefinitely" and has been for months. There's no timetable for his return, they've got investments in two centers already with Hayes and Sean Couturier, and top prospect Morgan Frost will be banging on the door for the 3C spot by early 2020. They'll be patient with a former second-overall pick, but head injuries are nasty business, and they can't wait around for him forever. It's not like he exactly blew the doors off in his first couple of seasons.
3, Can Shayne Gostisbehere get his game back? They're burying him on the third pairing with Braun right now, and he's a shell of his former self. He was great in his rookie season and his third year, and had mixed results in years two and four. He hasn't improved in his fifth season, and it's becoming concerning. There's not a particular rush to make a move, as their top D prospect Phil Myers is already in the NHL, but this is a guy who should anchor a second pairing and the point on PP1.
Carter Hart should see an overall positive season with ups-and-downs due to his youth. Giroux will be solid, albeit slightly hindered by playing more center than left wing while Patrick and Scott Laughton are out. Travis Konecny and Oskar Lindblom look like two top-six wingers they can rely on for a long time. The pieces are starting to fall into place a bit. But you can only carry an overpay or two at a time, and they run the risk of having three at once with Voracek, Hayes, and James van Riemsdyk.