Did the Flyers Make a Mistake Firing Dave Hakstol?

The Philadelphia Flyers have experienced several coaching changes in recent years, including the tenure of Dave Hakstol, affectionately known as "Hack." Hakstol joined the Flyers in 2015 and remained with the team for four seasons, achieving a commendable record of 134-101-42 and leading the team to two playoff appearances.

However, in 2018, the Flyers decided to part ways with him, leading him to take on the role of an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs for a few seasons.

When Ron Francis assumed the helm of the Seattle Kraken, he wasted no time in bringing Hakstol onboard as the head coach. Though somewhat surprising, Francis believed that Hakstol was the right fit for the job.

Despite a lacklustre first season, the Kraken regrouped during the offseason and underwent a remarkable transformation under Hakstol's guidance. They finished the second year with an impressive 46-28-8 record, securing their first-ever playoff appearance and advancing to the second round before losing to the Dallas Stars in a seven-game series.

Now the question arises: did the Flyers make a mistake by firing Hakstol? In my view, the answer is Yes.

The team's construction under former Flyers goalie and general manager Ron Hextall had its flaws, and the coach could only do so much with the available resources. Consequently, the team began to crumble, which lead to Hextall's dismissal and Chuck Fletcher's hiring. He chose to fire Hackstol when he was close to .500 hockey and he didint give him a chance to turn it around leading to four more head coaching changes in just five years.

Hack also was getting settled into his role and did produce two playoff seasons and two regular seasons over 40 wins.

But as they say , that's hockey. I believe that John Tortorella, the current coach, has the potential to lead the Flyers back to success with his coaching style and approach to the game. Hakstol has indeed found success as a head coach with the Kraken, and I wish him well in his future endeavours.