In probably the most expected move, the Flyers fired Peter Laviolette after three games. They dropped their third consecutive game to the Hurricanes yesterday by a score of 2-1.

Following a dismal preseason in which they won only one game, the Flyers are 0-3-0 having been outscored 9-3. Rumors had been swirling that Laviolette would be the first coaching casualty. Sadly, that became reality today. A well respected coach who once guided the franchise to the Stanley Cup Final, he hardly got a sniff with a new roster that included Vinny Lecavalier, Mark Streit and Ray Emery.

“Right from the first day of training camp I was worried about how the team looked,” Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said. “We have a long way to go this season, but it’s about how we played and it was unacceptable. It was a gut feeling that I had to make a change.”

Holmgren is the genius who put this roster together. Many observers felt the Flyers would bounce back after missing the playoffs citing team character. There is talent in Claude Giroux, Scott Hartnell, Jake Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier. But a questionable blueline has been the main culprit thus far. Steve Mason and Emery can only do so much.

Assistant Craig Berube takes over the struggling club. “We’re just not playing well enough right now to win the in the National Hockey League,” Holmgren added. “Whether it’s fresh ideas or a new voice, that’s up to Craig. That’s his job. I didn’t like the direction the team was heading and felt we needed a change.”

With it being so early in the season, there’s plenty of time for the Flyers to turn it around. Their top four offensive players (Giroux, Hartnell, Voracek, Simmonds) don’t have a point. Lecavalier has a goal. He replaced Daniel Briere. The D is anchored by aging vet Kimmo Timonen. They need better play from Luke Schenn, whose giveaway resulted in Radek Dvorak’s game-winner Sunday.

I don’t think it’s fair to Laviolette, who by all accounts is a good coach. He even got a vote of confidence from team owner Ed Snider.

“As far as Peter is concerned, last year was an anomaly,” Snider told reporters on Sept. 13. “He’s been a very good coach for us, he’s been a good coach in this League, and we’re just thrilled to have him.”

In five seasons, he finishes 145-98-29. A former Cup winning coach who guided the Hurricanes to Lord Stanley in ’05-06, Laviolette didn’t deserve this. If the Flyers were so hell bent on making a change, they should’ve dismissed him before the year. It’s the earliest any coach has been axed since Bill Gadsby was fired by Detroit in ’69-70.