Flyers GM Hextall not planning on copying Penguins' blueprint

Ron Hextall has a plan for his Philadelphia Flyers, and he's not going to waver from it.

Like every other general manager, his goal is to win the Stanley Cup, but Hextall isn't ready to copy the Pittsburgh Penguins' recipe for success.

"The one thing I learned over the years is you have to be very careful being a copycat," Hextall said, according to Tim Panaccio of CSNPhilly. "When you start chasing everybody, you go away from your foundation and the very next year a team that plays a totally different style wins a Cup.

"So you've got to be careful there, You've got to believe what you believe in, stick to your foundation and make little adjustments rather than flip from black to white."

Pittsburgh's strength throughout the postseason was speed and puck possession, but Hextall is relying on a more traditional approach in building a winner.

"I still believe (in) goaltending, defense, and centers," Hextall said. "Build through the middle. In terms of how far away we are ... talk is cheap. We need to keep building here and find ways to get better and allow our success to tell us when our time has come."

Hextall and the Flyers squeaked into the final playoff spot last season, ultimately eliminated in the first round by the Washington Capitals.