An assistant coach with Berube ties would be real dark-horse hire for Flyers

As the Flyers search for a new head coach, we're looking at potential candidates to fill the vacancy.

"Communication and teaching are probably two things that will be at the forefront of our next coach," general manager Danny Briere said April 19 at his end-of-the-season press conference. "When you have a young team in place, I really think those two attributes are extremely important."

We've profiled Mike Sullivan (hired by the Rangers), Rick Tocchet, Pat Ferschweiler, Brad Shaw, Jay Woodcroft, Ian Laperriere, Jeff Halpern and Jay McKee. Next up in our series is Mike Van Ryn, an assistant coach for the Maple Leafs.

Why Van Ryn would be a fit

The soon-to-be 46-year-old has twice worked under Craig Berube, who the Flyers know well. Van Ryn won a Stanley Cup as an assistant with the 2018-19 Blues, a team Berube took over in an interim role. The two are now with Toronto and making a playoff run in Berube's first season as the Maple Leafs' head coach.

Berube played alongside Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones in Philadelphia and Washington. He also coached Briere as an assistant with the Flyers. There's a good chance Van Ryn has some Berube ideologies, which the Flyers wouldn't mind. Berube is a good coach and Van Ryn has likely learned a lot from him in their six seasons together.

Running Toronto's defense, Van Ryn saw Jake McCabe record a career-best plus-23 rating this season and Oliver Ekman-Larsson a career-best plus-14. Chris Tanev was a plus-31, the second-best mark of his career. Van Ryn's influence on the Flyers' younger defensive group could be attractive.

As a head coach, Van Ryn has had impressive seasons at the minor league and junior levels. He led the AHL's Tucson Roadrunners to a 42-20-6 season in 2017-18 and the OHL's Kitchener Rangers to a 44-17-7 finish in 2015-16.

Van Ryn was a first-round draft pick of the Devils in 1998 and played 353 career NHL games. The former defenseman put up 30 goals and 99 assists between three teams. He also won a national championship with Michigan in 1998.

 

Aaron Bell/OHL Images

 

Aaron Bell/OHL Images

Why Van Ryn would not be a fit

Similar to some of the other candidates, it's the inexperience factor.

Briere and Jones are making their first head coaching hire. It's a huge decision, one that could define their rebuild. Would they be willing to go with a lesser-known name who has never been an NHL bench boss?

The Flyers' job comes with big-time pressure. The team hasn't made the playoffs in five straight seasons, matching the franchise's longest drought. Alain Vigneault and John Tortorella, coaches with three Stanley Cup Final appearances and 134 playoff wins between the two of them, both didn't last three full seasons here.

If the Flyers have interest in Van Ryn, they might have to wait a bit. The Maple Leafs are tied with the Panthers at 2-2 in their best-of-seven second-round playoff series. The Flyers don't have to be in a rush, but with several other clubs vying for a new head coach, there's an element of aggressiveness, too.