Flyers fire Hakstol; Gordon to be interim coach
The Philadelphia Flyers have fired coach Dave Hakstol, the team announced Monday.
Scott Gordon, the coach of the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, will serve as interim. Gordon has NHL head-coaching experience with the New York Islanders (2008-10)
Hakstol, in his fourth year with the club, is the fifth NHL coach to be fired this season. That comes after no head coaches were dismissed during the entire 2017-18 season, a first since Original Six expansion.
The struggling Flyers, last in the league in goaltending, are recalling top goalie prospect Carter Hart. the 20-year-old twice won CHL Goaltender of the Year. After a shaky start in Lehigh, Hart was won four of his last five starts.
“After meeting this morning with Dave Hakstol and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to relieve him of his duties as head coach,” Flyers vice president and general manager Chuck Fletcher said in a news release. “As I continue to assess the team, I feel that this is the best course of action for our group moving forward.”
Despite playoff expectations — bolstered by the free agent acquisition of James van Riemsdyk, one of the best offensive players on the market — Philadelphia has tumbled.
As of Monday, the Flyers have the record in the Eastern Conference (12-15-4) and are on a four-game losing streak in which they’ve been outscored 22-8. The team dismissed general manager Ron Hextall last month and replaced him with Fletcher, who was previously the GM of the Minnesota Wild for nine seasons.
When he was hired Dec. 3, Fletcher said he wanted time to evaluate Hakstol before making a decision.
There were rumblings about Hakstol’s fate last December after the team endured a 10-game losing streak. The Flyers went on to finish third in the Metropolitan Division and made the playoffs, but lost to the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.
Hakstol, 50, came to the Flyers after 11 seasons at the University of North Dakota. He previously did not have NHL experience. While at UND, Hakstol helped produce many NHL players, including Jonathan Toews and T.J. Oshie. He also coached Hextall’s son, Brett Hextall.
With the Flyers, Hakstol made the playoffs in two of three seasons.
One of the biggest woes for Philadelphia this season has been goaltending. The Flyers have already used a league-high five goaltenders, who have combined for a league-worst .874 save percentage this season.
Hours before Hakstol’s firing, the team recalled its top goaltending prospect, 20-year-old Carter Hart.
Should Hart debut in the next week, the Flyers will become just the second team in NHL history to have six goalies play before Christmas, according to Elias. The other team was the 2002-03 St. Louis Blues, who suited up Fred Brathwaite, Tom Barrasso, Brent Johnson, Curtis Sanford, Reinhard Divis and Cody Rudkowsky.
The Flyers next play Tuesday against the visiting Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. ET, ESPN+).