Philadelphia Flyers: Firing Ron Hextall draws speculation that Dave Hakstol could be next

Now that Ron Hextall is out as general manager for the Philadelphia Flyers, many believe that it’s only a matter of time before the same happens to Dave Hakstol.

With the Philadelphia Flyers hanging out in the basement of the Metropolitan Division along with the New Jersey Devils, it seemed clear that change was needed, although it was kind of surprising to see the team move on from Ron Hextall as general manager on Monday.

Despite making some keys since taking over as general manager in 2014, the argument can be made there have been more frustrations than accomplishments surrounding Hextall. And now that the former goaltender is officially out, all eyes are on head coach Dave Hakstol to see if he happens to be out next.

It’s been no secret how frustrated Flyers fans have been towards Hakstol at times over the years, as many believe the team should have parted ways with him a while ago.

During his first year as head coach during the 2015-16 season, Hakstol did help Philadelphia earn a trip to the playoffs before they were eliminated right away by the Washington Capitals.

Two years later, it was similar results for the Flyers after they squeezed into the playoffs last season before they were embarrassed by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Failing to live up to expectations with plenty of talent to work with is just one of many issues surrounding Hakstol, and his inability to get this team to live up to their true potential.

Now that Hextall has been relieved of his duties, speculation is already beginning to heat up that Hakstol could be the next one out in Philadelphia, especially when seeing how much of a disappointment the team has been so far during the 2018-19 season.

Not only are the Flyers sitting comfortably at the bottom of the division with a 10-11-2 record, but the team has lost five of their last six games, including an embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Clearly, changes needed to be made with this team to get back on the winning track before it’s too late, and as difficult as a transition would be if they were to fire Hakstol, it seems like it would be worth it in the long run.

As bad as it sounds, the decision to move on from Hexstall seems like only the beginning when it comes to changes within the organization. So if Hakstol ends up being the next one out as part of the process, at least most Flyers fans seem like they would be supportive of the decision since it already seems long overdue anyway.