Flyers Weekly Observations: Claude Giroux's Position, Chuck Fletcher's Patience, More

It was another fun week in Flyers Land.

From the hiring of Chuck Fletcher, his introduction, a new coach and actual hockey being played, these are busy - and changing - times for the organization.

Let's get into some observations:

• Claude Giroux is pretty versatile, huh?

In his first game back at center since the 2016-17 season, Giroux went off for four points (one goal, three assists) during the Flyers' 6-2 win Saturday over the Sabres.

Which, of course, created the inevitable question of should the Flyers keep Giroux in the middle?

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The Flyers undoubtedly need more depth at center. With one point in his last 11 games, Nolan Patrick hasn't shown the playmaking ability everyone was looking for from the 20-year-old. Be patient, though, because Patrick can turn it on quickly.

Still, Sean Couturier centering Jakub Voracek and Wayne Simmonds on the second line would be intriguing, while James van Riemsdyk's game definitely goes to a different level next to a facilitator like Giroux.

However …

Giroux on the wing and Couturier at first-line center resulted in career years for both players during 2017-18. If it's not broke, don't fix it, right?

Allowing Giroux - who turns 31 in January - to play left winger keeps him fresher with a little less demand over the course of the season; he's already playing 20 minutes a night, which includes time on the power play and penalty kill.

When Couturier returns from a day-to-day lower-body injury, I'd expect Giroux to shift back to left winger. Patrick can make the decision easier on head coach Dave Hakstol by taking a step forward in December. If the 2017 second overall pick doesn't, Hakstol may have his hand forced.

• Just how patient will Fletcher be?

The whole dynamic is interesting because the Flyers' new general manager stressed the importance of getting to know the staff, the players, the duties of everyone and looking first to in-house solutions.

Then again, Flyers president Paul Holmgren and Comcast Spectacor chairman and CEO Dave Scott brought in Fletcher because there wasn't enough progress and action with a team that should be better.

If the trend below worsens, Fletcher won't watch and hope for the best - that's not why he was summoned by the Flyers.

There are already rumblings that the Flyers could be seriously active ahead of the Feb. 25 trade deadline. Scott made a point to mention that date two weeks ago and Fletcher won't sit back here.

• This past weekend was a prime example of why the goalie position is so critical.

In Saturday's win, the Flyers fell behind, 2-0, but stuck with their approach because Anthony Stolarz still provided timely saves to salvage the Flyers' confidence. As a result, the Flyers ripped off six unanswered goals for a resounding victory.

In Sunday's 7-1 loss, the Flyers actually outplayed the Jets until Winnipeg scored its third goal on Michal Neuvirth to make it a 3-1 contest 7:31 into the second period. The Flyers then changed their entire game, tried doing too much and it backfired in a hurry.

Get a big save and the game could be totally different. The Flyers don't get that nearly consistently enough because their situation in net is a mess.

For the most part, Fletcher had goalie stability in Minnesota and it would not surprise me at all if the position is his chief concern with the Flyers.

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