With Paul McFarland presumably running the power play as the Jim Hiller replacement, Hakstol will likely take over the penalty kill and defense pairs from Smith.
This is certainly a decision that will leave some scratching their heads based on Hakstol’s track record with the Flyers, although there is a substantial difference between running a bench as the HC and complementing Mike Babcock in an assistant’s role. Hakstol was a highly successful college coach in North Dakota who made the jump straight from college into the HC role and at times seemed overwhelmed by the job in Philadelphia.