Patrick Sharp Leaves Blackhawks Booth for Flyers Front Office Job

Patrick Sharp is going back to where it all started. The Philadelphia Flyers announced that they are hiring Sharp as the Special Advisor to Hockey Operations. The Flyers have been on a rebuild of their own since hiring former Philadelphia Flyers captain Danny Briere as its general manager.

OFFICIAL: We have named Patrick Sharp to the position of Special Advisor to Hockey Operations. https://t.co/NAtdyyMHRV

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 13, 2023

The 41-year-old Sharp leaves the Blackhawks broadcast booth just a week after Chicago brought Darren Pang as an in-game analyst.

Returning to Philadelphia

Before becoming the sniper he developed into with Chicago, Sharp’s career started with the Flyers where he showed flashes of his future scoring prowess during the 2004-2005 season with the Phantoms of the AHL. Chicago dealt for him a season later, sending Matt Ellison and a third-round pick in what was a steal for the Blackhawks. The trade was another critical building block for the Blackhawks eventual Cup run that would span for nearly a decade.

Sharp ended his career with 287 goals and 620 points in 939 NHL games. He also had 87 points (47-40) in 142 playoff games which included three Stanley Cup championships.

Now he returns to Philadelphia where he will advise and work to pull the Flyers out of a hellish rebuild. Briere has already started retooling by sending Ivan Provorov to Columbus and trying to send Carter Hart elsewhere. Briere is imitating what’s been done around the league and currently in Chicago: send players with high value for future building. blocks. in the way of draft picks or prospects.

The Flyers are going heavy on player experience adding Sharp to a front office with President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones leaving the booth as well. With Jones, Briere, and now Sharp, the Flyers boast a front office with three players who played a combined 2,403 games in the NHL.

They’re wagering on the experience to help transform the organization into a consistent contender. Bringing Patrick Sharp in, known for his sharp analysis and charisma, might very well help in achieving that objective.