Photographer: Kate Frese
On Sunday afternoon, a report surfaced that the Flyers were firing Dave Hakstol and hiring Joel Quenneville. Since then, the reports have been denied numerous times. Conflicting reports surround the Flyers coaching situation.
The next major change has apparently. Following a dismal road trip that included losses in the final four games, the Flyers will fire Dave Hakstol as head coach and hire Joel Quenneville, according to a report from Dave Isaac of the Courier Post.
If the five-game road trip was going to be an evaluation period for new GM Chuck Fletcher, he should have all the answers he needs. It’s time for changes to happen and they could be coming soon.
Things surrounding the Flyers will remain the same with the makeup of the team for one more night, as the Flyers close a five-game road trip in Vancouver against the Canucks.
This is a game of two teams going in opposite directions. The Edmonton Oilers have surged back into a playoff spot with an 8-2-2 record under new coach Ken Hitchcock. The Flyers, meanwhile, are 1-1-1 on a five-game road trip with very little, if any, progress made since the firing of GM Ron Hextall.
For the Flyers to avoid more significant changes as the season progresses, finding some consistency in the results is imperative. The next chance for a victory comes on Wednesday night against the Pacific Division leading Calgary Flames.
The Flyers road trip continues on Sunday afternoon as the Flyers face the Winnipeg Jets.
The Flyers announced on Friday that they have recalled forward Phil Varone from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms ahead of their five-game road trip starting Saturday in Buffalo.
The Flyers did salvage a point out of this game against the much superior Columbus Blue Jackets, but it wasn’t the type of performance that will keep the new GM from action.
A miscommunication between Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov and a lost board battle by Couturier set up the Blue Jackets for the game-winner, as Seth Jones scored his second goal of the game to give Columbus a 4-3 win over the Flyers on Thursday night at Wells Fargo Center.
