Former Philadelphia Flyers general manager Ron Hextall showed a high level of loyalty to head coach Dave Hakstol. So much so that Hextall preferred to keep Hakstol instead of pursuing the second-most winningest coach in league history.

Joel Quenneville's name immediately came up after he was fired by the Chicago Blackhawks but Hextall wanted to stick to his plan, Flyers CEO Dave Scott revealed during a Tuesday press conference, according to USA Today's Dave Isaac.

Team president Paul Holmgren already stated Hakstol's fate will be determined by the club's new GM.

Buffalo Sabres assistant GM Steve Greeley, former Minnesota Wild GM Chuck Fletcher, and ex-Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis are among the early candidates for the Flyers' front-office vacancy. Francis and Quenneville were Hartford Whalers teammates in the 1980s.

Philadelphia would need permission from the Blackhawks before speaking to Quenneville about a potential coaching job.

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