Rumor: Hakstol out, Sutter in?

It’s no secret that Philadelphia Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol is on the hot seat. The Flyers’ bench boss had led his team to 10 straight losses and is the target for much of the fanbase’s derision. The Flyers have been booed off the ice several times during their recent run of ineptitude and if things carry on this way for much longer, it’s expected that Hakstol will be shown the door.

Enter Darryl Sutter? The former Los Angeles Kings head coach has ties to the Flyers organization from GM Ron Hextall’s time as the Kings’ assistant GM. There’s a familiarity between the two and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi wonders if there’s a coaching job awaiting Sutter in Philly once Hakstol is finally axed.

According to Carchidi:

Because of Hextall’s past connection to Los Angeles, the rumor mill keeps churning ex-Kings coach Darryl Sutter’s name as a possible replacement. Dave Tippett, who has 14 years of NHL head-coaching experience, is also among the numerous candidates.

A more likely candidate however is the team’s AHL head coach Scott Gordon. Dave Tippett, mentioned by Carchidi, is also an intriguing candidate. Despite all these rumors and the Flyers’ terrible play as of late, it will still take a lot for Hextall to fire Hakstol. But if they can’t turn things around on their upcoming Western road trip, Hextall may be backed into a corner and have no other choice.