from Brian Compton of NHL.com,

It's a rare occurrence when the Philadelphia Flyers don't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that was the case last season. A slow start doomed Philadelphia, which won 33 games and finished 12th in the Eastern Conference.

"I think the whole point of hockey is making playoffs. That's the best time of the year," captain Claude Giroux told the Flyers website. "When you can't be a part of it, obviously [there's] a lot of disappointment and frustration. We're going to learn the hard way, but it's going to help us for the future."

Changes were made after the season, none bigger than at coach. Craig Berube was fired and replaced by Dave Hakstol, who will coach his first NHL game when the Flyers open the season Oct. 8 at the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hakstol, 47, spent the past 11 seasons as coach at the University of North Dakota.
"He has a tireless work ethic," Flyers general manager Ron Hextall said of Hakstol. "I think the biggest thing is his knowledge of the game is extremely high-level. I feel very comfortable with where we're at."

Hakstol, the 19th coach in Flyers history, won 289 games with North Dakota and helped develop Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews and Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, among others. Under Hakstol's guidance, North Dakota advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four seven times, including last season when it reached the semifinals. Hakstol was named National Collegiate Hockey Conference coach of the year twice and was a finalist for national coach of the year eight times.

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