Do the moves by the Flyers on Friday alter whether John Tortorella remains the Flyers head coach down the road?
Apr 11, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella during the second period against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
John Tortorella’s contract wasn’t swapped out of town for a pick or prospect today. Yet the deadline deals Friday could provide a clue as to whether this season could be Tortorella’s last as a Flyers head coach. Or he’s signed to a short-term extension.
Tortorella is under contract for one more season after this one ends. It’s probably a given that the coach and general manager find common ground on how to proceed this summer. Nobody wants a lame duck coach finishing out his string, especially for a team and a season that should hopefully see improvement towards a playoff spot or, like last year, playing meaningful games deep into the season. But with the departure in 2025 of Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Andrei Kuzmenko, Erik Johnson, and Scott Laughton, it’s clear the Flyers are playing out the string here. And unless they go on some incredible run in the remaining 18 games, then it’s another season on the outside looking in regarding the playoffs.
Looking back, the 2022-23 Flyers was also the first year with Tortorella as the head coach. And between now and then there has been a decent amount of turnover. The players who were with him the first year and still here post-deadline include Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Noah Cates, Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler and Nic Deslauriers. Other Flyers that season who got brief stints included Sam Ersson (12 games), Tyson Foerster (8), Egor Zamula (14), Olle Lycksell (8) and Adam Ginning (1).
Gone from that same 2022-23 roster? Kevin Hayes, Morgan Frost, Tony DeAngelo, Joel Farabee, James van Riemsdyk, Ivan Provorov, Wade Allison, Zack MacEwan, Lukas Sedlak, Patrick Brown, Tanner Laczynski, Justin Braun, Kieffer Bellows, Carter Hart, and now Scott Laughton. A lot of turnover, getting rid of pieces that didn’t fit while building a culture in the room that Tortorella said was as strong and tight as any room he’s seen in his lengthy career. The Laughton move will test the idea that the culture should survive the removal of one of its key pieces.
If it wasn’t evident before, it’s crystal clear the Flyers are likely missing the playoffs and making a case for a top 10 pick in 2025 now with the trades of Andrei Kuzmenko and Scott Laughton. “For a team like us, these are tough days because they see teams ramping up, that are going to take a run at it,” Tortorella said after practice Friday. “We’re not. We’re not able to ramp up, we’re in a different situation.”
And next season that situation is different. Michkov will be in his sophomore year and the lineup should see a few new faces up front in Jett Luchanko and on the blueline in possibly Oliver Bonk or Hunter McDonald. So with the turnover in the personnel, it’s probably reasonable to consider a possible turnover in the coaching personnel. If Tortorella decides to leave with a year left on his contract, it’s doubtful Danny Briere would have a hard time finding a coach interested in getting in almost on the ground floor of the rebuild. It appears to be getting closer to the time when Tortorella either heads out or upstairs with Briere for a front office position. And considering the remaining games this year won’t be nearly as meaningful as they were last year, that decision might be clearer now.
The Flyers to-do list this off-season seems to be make a move to get a high-end center during the summer. And somewhere on that list is getting the situation with Tortorella resolved one way or another. Given how the relationship has grown in three seasons, it would be a stretch to suggest Tortorella’s exit from the Flyers bench is messy or acrimonious. Tortorella’s successor has already been speculated about, with Brad Shaw and possibly Penguins coach Mike Sullivan finding his way to Philadelphia. For now, the Flyers carried on with their rebuild, adding more picks and a youthful prospect on Friday. John Tortorella might be part of that rebuild for a while. It’s just looking more unlikely that a lot of that time will be behind the bench.
