What's going on with Dave Hakstol and the Flyers?
Here’s the question that the entire hockey world seemed to be asking Sunday afternoon: What is going on with the Philadelphia Flyers and the status of their (current?) head coach Dave Hakstol?
Honestly, your guess is as good as ours.
A mix of reports from reputable sources have surfaced throughout Sunday afternoon about whether or not Hakstol still has his job.
Dave Isaac, a Flyers beat reporter for Courier Post and USA TODAY, tweeted from his verified account that Hakstol has been fired and former Blackhawks’ head coach and three-time Stanley Cup winner Joel Quenneville has been hired to take his place.
Sources: #Flyers make the decision to fire Dave Hakstol, hire Joel Quenneville: https://t.co/YFEyzBiJW2
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) December 16, 2018
After posting the article at 3:54 p.m. (ET), it was most recently updated at 5:57 p.m. (ET) to say that “multiple sources tell the Courier Post that the Flyers will announce the firing of Hakstol Sunday night or Monday morning”.
The NHL on NBC tweeted out a similar story when the news ‘broke’.
However, those reports have been refuted since, most notably by TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger.
Status quo in Philadelphia. No decision has been made on Dave Hakstol.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) December 16, 2018
Despite the whirlwind of reports involving his name, if you ask Hakstol, it’s business as usual.
Dave Hakstol plans to still be coaching Monday. He just told the #Flyers’ PR staff he will give a medical update on Brian Elliott’s status on Monday. Stay tuned.
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) December 16, 2018
The 50-year-old has been the head coach of the Flyers since the beginning of the 2015-16 season, making him one of the longest-tenured bench bosses in the NHL.
The Flyers are 12-15-4 so far this season and currently sit last in the Eastern Conference following a 5-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night. In his three full seasons with the team, Philadelphia has missed the playoffs once and been eliminated in the first round twice.
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