Flyers do indeed dismiss coach Dave Hakstol

After either some indecision inside hockey operations or over-anxiousness on the part of the media Sunday, the Philadelphia Flyers have indeed gone ahead and fired head coach Dave Hakstol.

Led by new Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher, the organization made it official shortly after another round of reports from those close to the franchise surfaced again Monday.

The Flyers have tabbed Scott Gordon — the club’s head coach of its American Hockey League affiliate in Lehigh Valley — as Hakstol’s replacement. The hockey world was abuzz Sunday when it was reported that Joel Quenneville, three-time Stanley Cup winner with the Chicago Blackhawks, would step into the role.

A change was needed regardless after a 12-15-4 start. The Flyers have just three wins from their last 10 games and have sunk to the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference.

It was a season shaping up to result in a third postseason miss in Hakstol’s four seasons in charge.

Firing Hakstol is the action that carries with it the greatest capacity for change — save, perhaps, for adding the premium goaltender the franchise has lacked over the last several iterations. (The Flyers hope they have the latter with prized prospect Carter Hart joining Gordon with the big club).

All told, Hakstol compiled a 134-101-42 record in parts of four seasons with the Flyers. He was hired in 2015 after a highly successful run with his alma mater, the University of North Dakota.

Rather remarkably, Hakstol was actually the fifth longest tenured NHL coach at the time of his dismissal Monday.

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