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Philadelphia Flyers should stick with head coach Dave Hakstol

By Dave Stevenson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers Dave Hakstol speaks to the media after his team defeated the Washington Capitals 8-2 on October 14, 2017 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 14: Head Coach of the Philadelphia Flyers Dave Hakstol speaks to the media after his team defeated the Washington Capitals 8-2 on October 14, 2017 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Flyers are losers of their last eight games. But head coach Dave Hakstol shouldn’t be fired over it. 

Few cities in the United States love their sports more than Philadelphia. Whether it’s the 76ers, Eagles, Phillies, or Philadelphia Flyers, Philly has teams with very storied histories. Currently, the Flyers might be the second least exciting team of the quartet.

Entering Tuesday, Nov. 28, the Broad Street Bullies have lost their last eight games, though at least they lost in overtime in the past three games. In an extremely competitive Metropolitan Division, the Flyers are the lone team with a point percentage of under .500.

Usually, when a non-contender loses eight straight games, there are calls for the coach’s head. Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol’s job is probably in jeopardy. However, should it be? Let’s look at the facts.

Trust The Process

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First of all, the Flyers record is irrelevant. They’re not a contender. In fact, strictly looking at the moves they’ve been making recently, the Flyers are at best retooling and most likely rebuilding. So what matters are the underlying numbers. The Flyers are losing, but their system doesn’t appear to be the problem since they have the 10th highest expected goals for percentage in the NHL.

Hakstol has gotten warranted criticism for his handling of young players, but this year, he seems to be doing much better. The three blue liners with the most even strength ice time? Youngsters Ivan Provorov, Robert Hagg, and Shayne Gostisbehere. Provorov and Gostisbehere are averaging well over 20 minutes per game, while Hagg is averaging a tick below 20 minutes per game.

The Flyers shouldn’t be caring too much about their record in terms of results. The only results general manager Ron Hextall should be looking at when evaluating Hakstol is the development of young players. You don’t hire a head coach straight out of college if development isn’t your top priority.

Devil’s Advocate

However, the Flyers forwards have a few concerning trends. The most alarming is Nolan Patrick, who looks overmatched at best so far in his young NHL career. But let’s be fair to him, he’s an 18-year-old playing against grown men, a good number of whom have been playing hockey for longer than he’s been alive.

Wayne Simmonds hasn’t been the excellent power forward that he usually is. Is this because of a decline or is it Hakstol related? There’s only one way to find out – a trade. As good as Hakstol is, he’s probably going to lose the locker room if the Flyers don’t start winning. Is it cruel? Absolutely. But such is life.

Next: 3 Bold Predictions For The Flyers

Ultimately, Hakstol deserves to be judged on how his young players are progressing. So far, things are going on schedule. Maybe that miracle postseason appearance in 2015-16 increased expectations for the Flyers. But so far, Hakstol’s doing precisely what he was hired to do.

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