A few weeks back, Anthony Gargano welcomed the Flyers‘ New President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones into the studio. Keith and Anthony discussed the direction of the Flyers now that they have committed to a rebuild, and his relationship with new GM Danny Briere, among other things. The Flyers are now featuring part of that interview in the latest episode of their new docuseries. Liftoff: Embarking on a New Era of Flyers Hockey.

If you are unfamiliar with the series, here is the synopsis from the Flyer’s Website. 

“The multi-episode digital series will chronicle the Philadelphia Flyers offseason, starting with the introduction of President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones and General Manager Daniel Briere, who join the organization’s senior leadership team along with Head Coach John Tortorella, Chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor and Flyers Governor Dan Hilferty, and President and CEO of Spectacor Sports and Entertainment Valerie Camillo. Liftoff will chronicle key upcoming events such as the 2023 NHL Draft and free agency, and will culminate with the Flyers’ 2023 Development Camp.”

The show debuted back in late May. Now “Chapter 2: No Shortcuts,” is available on YouTube. Fanatic listeners will recognize a familiar voice at the start of the episode.

The full interview, including notable quotes, is available below:

Flyers President Of Hockey Operations Keith Jones Joins The Anthony Gargano Show In Studio

• Keith Jones is confident in the group of guys they have in front office

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  “It's not just me, it's a really good group of hockey people that know what it is to be a Philadelphia Flyer, and what it means to play in this city no matter what the sport is. To appreciate all the other teams as well, but to make sure you don't lose your spot. And we lost our spot. So we've got a lot of work to do to try to regain the trust from our fan base to make sure that they understand that we're not doing this alone, that we're going to keep them involved in what we're doing and just relay the message like just and show them and show them that this team is good press. That's what we need to do.”

• He is also grateful for the all the things Philadelphia as a city has done for him

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  "Without this city, I really have nothing. Like I ended my career here. I came in already previously injured. We don't want to add any Keith Joneses to the lineup, I can tell you that. Squeezing the toothpaste till the end. But I so much appreciate what has happened to me here. The fact that the fans, you know, accepted me. They enjoyed in all my commentary, my humor."

• Thinks the Flyers need a lot more talent

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  "You need talented players that want to grab it by the horns and make something happen and have the skill set to be able to do that. We have some guys that can, but we need more. And that's something that is really going to be at the forefront of what we're trying to do here. We're trying to get younger at the same time. Which was started last year"
• Flyers have to keep developing the young guys they have

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  "We're trying to continue to develop players like Owen Tippett that showed great strides last year. Morgan Frost Second half way better than the first half. So that tells you that something's starting to click and you have to be careful with some of your younger players. You don't you don't want to miss on one and let them go too soon, and all of a sudden they're playing for the Stanley Cup the next year, right? So we we have a pretty good feel for what is necessary to get us where we need to go. And we're just going to ask for patience, but not for long. We understand we get it."

• Travis Konecny Is a guy to build around

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  "But for Travis, he's a star, like he is a star player and he has it like he had it when he arrived. He's someone that I think extremely highly of and I don't want to talk to in depth about individual players, but he makes me smile. I get over a lot of fans that will pull me aside and tell me, Hey, make sure that guy doesn't go anywhere, you know? And then, of course, there's others that feel differently and want us to get younger faster and know that he's a great asset. But he is one player that stands out to me that has exactly what we're looking for."

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