Fired 31 games into his fourth season with Philadelphia on Dec. 17, 2018, Hakstol will coach the visiting team for the first time when the Kraken play at the Flyers on Monday (7 p.m. ET; NBCSP, ROOT-NW, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). He's looking forward to returning to Philadelphia and has no regrets about anything that happened during his time with the Flyers.
"The experience of the good, the bad and the ugly are all outstanding, they're all great growth opportunities," Hakstol said. "I was a confident person and coach then, believed in the things that I feel are important to the game. I'm no different today other than I've grown and continued to evolve."
Hakstol had no experience as a player or coach in the NHL when the Flyers hired him May 18, 2015 after 11 seasons as coach at the University of North Dakota. At the time he was the third coach to go directly to the NHL from the NCAA without prior NHL experience. Bob Johnson was hired by the Calgary Flames from the University of Wisconsin on June 1, 1982, and Ned Harkness went from Cornell University to the Detroit Red Wings on May 22, 1970.
After four seasons with the Flyers and two as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hakstol was named the first coach of the expansion Kraken on June 24. He said he feels more comfortable running an NHL bench and prior to Seattle's opener at the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 13, he told ESPN that the game has "slowed down" for him now.
"I would apply that statement to a little bit to everything, right from running training camp to operating things throughout the year," Hakstol said. "I didn't just mean game speed, game action. Just everything. And that's where experience is a benefit."
That benefit also is seen in the way Hakstol communicates with his players now compared to when he started with the Flyers. Though the foundation of the style and structure he wants the Kraken to play remains the same from when he got to the NHL, his experience in the League has helped him make necessary adjustments.
"Some of the non-negotiables in terms of compete, team first, the ability to think the game, those fundamental basics have not changed," he said. "In terms of tactics, yes, I believe I've grown and evolved in terms of those areas. But that's growth with the game as well. The game is a little bit different than it was four or five, six years ago. As a coach there's an evolution there in terms of the way we want to do things."
The next step in that evolution will bring Hakstol back to Philadelphia. He went 134-101-42 in his four seasons with the Flyers, qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs twice but losing in the first round each time. He said he believes he's a better coach now because of his time in Philadelphia and hopes to show that Monday with the Kraken, who are 1-1-1 to begin their inaugural season.
"I hope so," Hakstol said. "And I hope I'm a better NHL coach a year from now, yes. I continue to grow, and I push to get better and look for new and better ways to do things."
