PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers fired general manager Ron Hextall because — to swipe a page from their glory days — he was Broad Street Bullheaded.Hextall preached patience.The Flyers want to win now.That clash of ideology turned toxic in Philadelphia’s front office Victor Hedman Jersey , and it cost Hextall his job in his fifth season as GM. Paul Holmgren, the Flyers’ loyalist and team president, had few solid answers Tuesday as to why he made the move, other than to repeatedly call Hextall “unyielding.”Hextall’s arrival signaled a new era in Flyers history, one where short-term fixes, big-budget spending and mortgaging the farm system were no longer in vogue. He gamely tried to restock the farm system and refused to make a major trade for a star that could instantly inch the Flyers closer toward contention.And when all that got the Flyers were a pair of first-round playoff exits and a 10-11-2 record this season, Hextall got the boot.“He was unyielding in his plan and remained that way,” Holmgren said. “Good for him. He’s a well-thought out, deep-thinking guy.”The deep thoughts included packaging draft picks and prospects for All-Stars capable of carrying Claude Giroux, Wayne Simmonds, Jake Vorcek and James van Riemsdyk at least into May.The Flyers expect to hire a GM in weeks and he’ll have to make an urgent decision: keep or fire coach Dave Hakstol.“I hate to say Dave Hakstol’s fate is in the next GM’s hands but it is,” Holmgren said. “I’m not going to make that decision.”Hakstol, 132-97-40 in three–plus seasons Yanni Gourde Jersey , was set to coach the Flyers on Tuesday night against Ottawa.Holmgren said he never asked Hextall to fire the coach he hired with no NHL experience out of North Dakota. But Holmgren said Hextall had told him “of course, I’m thinking about it.”But, Holmgren added, “he never did it.”The Flyers did at least discuss the potential of adding Joel Quenneville after the Chicago Blackhawks fired the three-time Stanley Cup champion coach.“I can tell you his name came up right away when he was let go,” Comcast Spectacor CEO Dave Scott said. “I think Ron was set on, stay the course.”With his biggest backer gone, and the Flyers wallowing, Hakstol’s job is in serious danger.“I like Hak. I think he’s done a decent job under the circumstances he’s coached under,” Holmgren said.“Decent” isn’t exactly an encouraging vote of confidence. Hakstol has had his issues — the Flyers are last in the NHL in the penalty kill (69.7 percent) — but Hextall’s decision to enter the season with two oft-injured goalies haunted the team. The Flyers have matched a franchise-high with five goalies this season while prized prospect Carter Hart lingers in the minors.“Is he our long-term solution? I don’t know that,” Holmgren said. “I’m not prepared to answer that. That’s another topic for the next GM.”Holmgren punted about every major issue facing the Flyers to the next GM, and there are plenty of top candidates. The Flyers have about $7 million in salary cap space, and enough talent that should entice some heavy hitters for the job. Former Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, who won two Cups and now works for the Flyers Auston Matthews Jersey , told Holmgren he wasn’t interested. But Chuck Fletcher, Ron Francis, Sean Burke and Brian Burke are sure to pique the interest of a team eyeing its first Stanley Cup since the back-to-back titles in 1974 and 1975.“What can we do now, today, to make the team better now? Not two years or three years from now,” Scott said.Hextall was criticized for refusing to listen to scouts and advisers and had been accused of cutting off alumni from access to the team. Hextall, a star goalie and one of the franchise’s more popular players, had wanted his own process on his terms.“His plan was his plan and we’re really hoping for a little more openness going forward,” Scott said.Asked when the Flyers decided to shift from long-term rebuild to legitimate contention, Holmgren was blunt.“We’re in the fifth year,” Holmgren said. “That’s a long time in hockey years.”The Flyers haven’t made the Cup finals since 2010 and haven’t won a playoff round since 2012.“It’s a long time,” Scott said. “We’re gonna go for it.”The decision to dump Hextall was about dollars and cents as much as it was the state of the roster. Fan apathy is at a low, attendance is down and tickets are steeply discounted on StubHub. There is little buzz apart from the new googly-eyed mascot.What’s more Connor Brown Jersey , the 76ers, their fellow Wells Fargo Center tenant, have overtaken the city in popularity, with big stars and packed houses.“They were having some challenges and then (Jimmy) Butler coming certainly helps things,” Scott said.So the Flyers need their own Butler?“Couldn’t hurt, that’s for sure,” he said, laughing. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Viktor Arvidsson’s thumb and Juuse Saros‘ goalkeeping appear to be just fine for the Nashville Predators.Arvidsson scored twice, Saros made 32 saves and the Predators defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-0 Tuesday.Craig Smith and Rocco Grimaldi also scored for Nashville, which has won two straight.Arvidsson played his fourth game since missing 21 contests with a broken thumb.“It’s a little hard to come back being out for six weeks,” Arvidsson said. “I feel like I’m close to where I want to be, I’ve just got to keep working.”The shutout was Saros’ second of the season and the sixth of his career.“I’ve been practicing well and of course saw a lot of pucks today and we played pretty good defense Frederik Andersen Jersey , so that always helps,” Saros said. “When the team plays well in front of you, usually you get going too, and I had a little bit of luck, too, today, a couple of times the puck hit the post.”Making his first start since Dec. 15, Saros was busy early, stopping 13 shots in the first period. He made 12 saves in the second and seven in the third period. His best sequence came just over three minutes into the second period when he made back-to-back saves in close on Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek.Michal Neuvirth made 26 saves for the Flyers, who have lost four in a row.“We got a solid goaltending performance by Michal,” Flyers interim head coach Scott Gordon said. “All four goals, we beat ourselves on, putting ourselves in the wrong spots. You can’t outscore those mistakes.”Philadelphia did not convert on either of its power plays in the game. The Flyers have not scored with the man-advantage in their last four games.“We hit two posts — lot of frustration Womens Jake Gardiner Jersey ,” Flyers captain Claude Giroux said. “We’re going to keep working and the power play is going to get back untracked.”Saros also denied Wayne Simmonds on a breakaway just under six minutes into the third. That save came just before Arvidsson scored his second goal of the night on a wrist shot from the slot at 6:15.Smith scored the game’s first goal at 2:03 of the second period.Kevin Fiala skated the puck into the Philadelphia zone on the left side. From the left circle, Fiala sent a cross-ice pass to Smith at the right faceoff dot, where his wrist shot beat Neuvirth high to the stick side just underneath the crossbar.Fiala has five points in his last three games.Arvidsson made it 2-0 at 12:03 of the second.In the left circle, Ryan Johansen drove toward the Philadelphia net before slipping a pass to Arvidsson, who was unchecked at the back post. He tapped it in for his second goal in as many games.“He’s pushing himself and you see how important he is out here tonight with his speed and his work ethic, his ability to score goals and make a difference in a game,” Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said of Arvidsson. “The line was really good, especially in the second and third period.”Grimaldi scored his third of the season at 11:37 of the third. He has scored in consecutive games.NOTES: Nashville is 18-2-0 when scoring first this season. … The Predators are 12-3-1 against Eastern Conference opponents. … This was the 11th time the Predators played on New Year’s Day, all at home. … Philadelphia did not convert on either of its power plays in the game. The Flyers have not scored with the man-advantage in their last four games. … The Flyers are 1-16-3 when trailing after two periods.UP NEXT:Flyers: Host Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.Predators: Visit Detroit Red Wings on Friday.