Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher, who relieved Dave Hakstol of his coaching duties earlier today, addressed the media a short time ago.

In a brief opening statement, Fletcher called Dave Hakstol a “straight-up guy” and said he has a lot of respect for him. That led us to the question and answer portion of the presser.

Notes and quotes:

  • RE: Hakstol: “to my eyes there was a disconnect to what he was preaching and how the players were playing.” Fletcher also put the onus on the players to get the job done on the ice.
  • The GM doesn’t question the “heart” of the team at all, says the players shot themselves in the foot in Calgary and needed to close that game out. “The coaches aren’t out there telling them to turn pucks over.” 
  • Fletcher had conversations with Hakstol and says the coach was aware of his thought process. Says the team needs more attention to detail and doesn’t question the talent level at all. “At the end of the day, I just felt like there needed to be a new voice.”
  • He’s still trying to identify what characteristics the team needs in a head coach and did not want to put a time frame on the process to replace Hakstol.
  • He likes Scott Gordon’s long track record of coaching success and likes his character and preparation and intellect. He thinks having him in the organization allows him to get up to speed more quickly than bringing in an outsider to be the interim coach.
  • Gordon is a candidate for the job, but it sounds like everybody is going to be a candidate as the search begins.
  • His expectation is that Gordon will be the coach for the “rest of the year.”
  • He has not asked for permission from Chicago to speak with Joel Quenneville (still under contract actually) and says he has not spoken to him in more than two years. The last contact was a text message after Q was let go by the Blackhawks.

More after the jump:

  • The assistant coaches will stay in place. No intention to replace them right now.
  • He reiterated that he felt like there was a “disconnect” in what the coaches were teaching and how it was being executed on the ice. “Dave was prepared. He’s smart, he’s a good coach. A lot of this onus falls on the players, but at the same time I have to look at maybe it’s time to get a different voice in here.”
  • Says it was just coincidence that Carter Hart was called up at the same time as Scott Gordon was promoted to interim head coach. “It’s probably not the ideal time to give him a game, but he’s played well… no worries about Carter Hart long term.”
  • Brian Elliott has “been making progress” but sounds like he’s weeks away from a return. “It’s more than week to week but I don’t want to categorize it as month to month.” 

Recap here: