(Kate Frese/Sports Talk Philly)
As the Flyers enter the offseason with a number of questions, specifically regarding coaching, they answered on Thursday with an announcement that they are relieving longtime assistant coach Joe Mullen of his duties.
The move come in the wake of a Flyers power play that had been absolutely dreadful over the second half of the season. It finished 14th in the league, at 19.5 percent with 54 goals. Several Flyers, including Brayden Schenn this year (with 17), finished among the league-leaders in power-play goals under Mullen.
Mullen's power-play units had been on a decline for a few years. They were fifth in the league in 2013-14 at 19.7 percent and third in 2014-15 at 23.5 percent, yet plummeted to 11th last year at 18.9 percent and 14th now.
Mullen, 60, joined the Flyers in 2007 — after a year as an assistant with the American League' Philadelphia Phantoms — and had been overseeing the power play ever since. He worked for four Flyers coaches — John Stevens, Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube and Dave Hakstol.
No other assistants on Hakstol's staff have been let go, and that's not expected to change.
One of the most prolific skaters in NHL history, Mullen's pedigree was well-established when he arrived in Philly. He was the first American-born player to crack 500 goals and 1,000 points, hit the 40-goal mark five times, won the Stanley Cup on three occasions, and was named a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2000. He worked behind Pittsburgh's bench for three different coaches (Ivan Hlinka, Rick Kehoe and Ed Olczyk), before moving to the other side of the state.
With three vacancies in Florida, Los Angeles and Vancouver, and a potential opening with the New York Islanders, Mullen figures to be a candidate. He may very well join newly-minted Vegas head coach Gerard Gallant's staff as well.
