from Randy Miller of NJ.com,

This time a year ago, Ron Hextall was preparing for his first training camp as an NHL general manager thinking the 2014-15 Flyers would be a better team than the one that took the eventual Stanley Cup finalist New York Rangers to a Game 7 in a first-round playoff loss the previous spring.

He was dead wrong, of course....

Now here we are close to the start of a new season with training camp for Flyers' rookies beginning Sept. 14 and veterans set to hit the ice on Sept. 18.

Hextall's thoughts on his team?

He's believing these Flyers are a better team than the club that he was so optimistic about this time a year ago.

"I think it is," Hextall said.

Why?

Hextall thinks the Flyers patched holes through his biggest offseason additions: forward Sam Gagner coming in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, Russian defenseman Evgeni Medvedev being signed as a free agent out of the KHL and new No. 2 goalie Michael Neuvirth joining as a free agent signee.

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