Dean Lombardi, Ron Hextall are reunited with Flyers

UNIONDALE, N.Y.  —  The Los Angeles Kings won two Stanley Cups while Dean Lombardi was their general manager, and the Flyers hope some of the magic rubs off.

Flyers general manager Ron Hextall confirmed Sunday that he had hired Lombardi, his onetime mentor, to assist him in the front office.

Lombardi, fired by the Kings in April after they missed the playoffs for the second time in the last three years, has not been given a job title yet.

"He brings a lot of experience. He's a sharp guy," Hextall said before the Flyers opened their exhibition season with a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Islanders at Nassau Coliseum. "We'd have been foolish not to bring him on board. For me, it's going to be another guy to run things by, and we'll find some things for him to do."

Lombardi once worked in the Flyers' scouting department. He won't have any scouting duties in his second go-around, Hextall said, adding that Lombardi would work on "projects."

Hextall was an assistant GM in Los Angeles when Lombardi was the general manager.

"He's a hard worker, and he's a thinker," Hextall said. "Every hockey mind you can get around is good."

Over the years, Hextall said, he has learned from Lombardi and from Flyers executives including Keith Allen and Bob Clarke.

"Everybody has their strengths … and you pick their brain," he said.

Goalie Alex Lyon stopped 19 of 20 shots before being replaced by Leland Irving at the start of Sunday's third period.

"I thought he had a real solid game," coach Dave Hakstol said. "The one that slid through him, there were four or five sticks whacking at the puck, and [John] Tavares got all of it. I thought overall, his demeanor, his poise, his presence in there was good. He made some outstanding saves and did a good job."

Hextall said the Flyers, who have 55 players in camp, will make a handful of roster cuts  Monday. … The Flyers will have two sessions at their camp Monday in Voorhees, one starting at 10 a.m., the other at noon. … Rookies Oskar Lindblom, Nolan Patrick, and Mikhail Vorobyev were on the Flyers' first power-play unit Sunday. … The Flyers and Islanders will play split-squad games against each other Wednesday, with one of the matchups at the PPL Center in Allentown and the other at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.