Hextall ushers in new Flyers era with Hakstol

The man behind the bench for the 2015-16 Philadelphia Flyers will be Dave Hakstol.

That was the big news on Monday around the NHL, as the Flyers worked quickly to fill the coaching vacancy.

Ron Hextall's top target now joins the Flyers after 11 seasons at the University of North Dakota and seven Frozen Four appearances. 

After weeks of speculation, of focusing on the three names that were going to be the NHL's potential top free-agent coaches, Hextall didn't flinch in his decision, keeping Hakstol under wraps until making the announcement on Monday. 

With the announcement, Hextall ushered in the new era of Flyers hockey by continuing to remain focused on his approach.

Put yourself in Hextall's shoes. You just completed your first season as general manager of a team that definitely underachieved and missed the playoffs for the second time in three years – certainly a rare occurrance.

Your philosophy is simple: patience. Patience with the young prospects waiting in the wings. Patience with the process and the system that is being formed and will be the responsibility of your new head coach.

In that case, perhaps the last thing you want, is Mike Babcock.

Here's what makes the decision to hire Hakstol such a change in the culture and the dawning of a new era.

Hakstol has no prior NHL experience, just the fourth coach to make the jump straight from college head coach to NHL head coach. That's certainly a daunting mark, putting the team in the hands of a coach that has not been behind the bench for an NHL game.

That part is the risk of the hiring. The potential high-reward is his college success, hockey knowledge and ability to work with young players.

Yes, perhaps a Mike Babcock or Todd McClellan could have been the right guy for the Flyers and players like Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek and Steve Mason and would have certainly signaled a win-now approach.

And that's just the problem. Mike Babcock would have brought expectations. Todd McClellan would have brought expectations. Dave Hakstol doesn't bring that reputation for success or expectations. He brings on a learning curve that will be the same when Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Sanheim, Sam Morin and a host of other prospects reach the NHL. 

It will take time, but if the prospects carry such hope, so too should Hakstol. His track record in college is there – though that doesn't always translate. Upon a first impression, you see the intensity, the care for the game, the respect for his new organization and a sense of urgency to get successful while Hextall builds the team.

A GM often times tries to put the right coach for him into the system. Communication certainly seems like a non-issue between Hextall and Hakstol. This is a move for Hextall first and foremost. It indicates direction. It shows that Hextall is committed to future success more than a one-and-done season.

And that's exactly what he talked about two days before firing Craig Berube.

So Hextall didn't give in on the high-profiled potential replacements for Berube and went completely out of the box. But he did it his way, just as everything else has gone.

Hextall certainly marches to the beat of his own drum. In one sense, it's refreshing. The Flyers announced a new head coach and Ed Snider didn't steal the show with one singular comment that will live in infamy.

Remember fresh perspective? Well, here it is.

That said, Hextall is slowly turning into his own one-man show.

Much like the pricey deal for Vincent Lecavalier or the outlandish contract extension for Andrew MacDonald or the trade for R.J. Umberger that shipped Scott Hartnell out of Philadelphia, Hextall is taking a risk, or at least setting himself up for the same backlash that followed those moves.

Yes, those were not headliners by any stretch. They did not pan out as fruitful transactions. 

So when it comes to the coach, Hextall better be right. For now, an offseason of more work awaits before we see the end result of Hextall's operation.

Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.