How bad would the Flyers have to be for Hakstol to get fired?

How bad would the Flyers have to be for Hakstol to get fired? by Nick Som

Here’s one way the Philadelphia Flyers can optimize their lineup by rearranging their (mostly) talented defensemen.

It’s clear that the next great Philadelphia Flyers team, if and when it arrives, will be built on the strength of its defense. The Flyers’ stockpile of high-end defensive prospects is embarrassingly large, with a wide variety of skillsets and play styles. Travis Sanheim is an offensive spark plug, Samuel Morin brings size and physicality to the back line, and Philippe Myers has gone from undrafted player to Corey Pronman’s list of top 100 prospects, along with five other Flyers.

Those prospects won’t all be arriving this year, however. Hextall seems content to let youth filter into the Flyers’ roster at a slow and steady rate. Morin and Robert Hagg will have good chances of making the team, but the rest of the defense will be filled with familiar faces. For a team that gave up the 10th most goals last season, this is a bit of a concern.

Growth from Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere will help, but another way Dave Hakstol can improve their defense is by rearranging their defensive pairings. Here’s one way the Flyers could do so:

Ivan Provorov and Radko Gudas

The most important change the Flyers need to make is to release Provorov from his terrible partnership with Andrew MacDonald. Provorov simply won’t be able to reach his full potential alongside a player who belongs in the press box, or maybe in a highly protected third-pairing role. While Gudas needs to tone down his recklessness on the ice, he’s still a solid veteran defenseman who can be counted on. That should be all that Provorov needs to take a huge step forward in year two.

Shayne Gostisbehere and Samuel Morin

If this pairing looks half as good on the ice as it does on paper, they’re going to be incredibly fun to watch. Ghost’s offensive wizardry would mesh perfectly with Morin’s stay-at-home, defensively responsible style. Most importantly, it’s a pairing with the ability to win both the game and the fight. Make it happen, Hakstol.

Andrew MacDonald and Robert Hagg

Well, we had to put him somewhere. Hakstol’s confounding support of McDonald means he won’t be leaving any time soon, but there’s still a chance Hakstol might change his mind about the proper way to use AMac. It’s a shame that Robert Hagg would be the unlucky winner of the MacDonald Sweepstakes in this scenario, but I think it’s more likely that Hakstol would want to pair Provorov with a veteran to replace MacDonald.