When the Philadelphia Flyers hired Dave Hakstol to be their 19th head coach back in 2015, the organization made the unorthodox decision to retain each of the team’s existing NHL assistant coaches. Only Kim Dillabaugh was added to the mix, and he replaced Jeff Reese, who had departed the team months before Hakstol signed on.



It was always unlikely that general manager Chuck Fletcher would choose to go down the same path as his predecessor, Ron Hextall, when it came to Alain Vigneault’s staff, and on Monday afternoon, the Flyers confirmed as much with an extensive shake-up of the current group of assistants. It wasn’t a complete overhaul; Dillabaugh, penalty kill coach Ian Laperriere and video coach Adam Patterson all remain on staff, presumably in their previous positions.



But Kris Knoblauch (primarily in charge of the power play) and Rick Wilson (defense) will not return, replaced by two former NHL head coaches: Michel Therrien and Mike Yeo. The...