When John Tortorella was announced as the Flyers coach, it was just a matter of time before people asked just how long he’d be able to not wear out his welcome. Well we’re over halfway through his four-year contract now and judging by the general improvement in the team compared to Alain Vigneault’s decline it’s probably a better than 50/50 bet he’ll still be behind the bench when training camp for 2025-26 begins. At least we think that’s the plan.
Had the Flyers started the season unbeaten or perhaps squeezed wins in Edmonton and Seattle then the topic is still well on the backburner. This season’s start hasn’t resulted in a whirlwind of “fire Torts” chants at Wells Fargo Center, but at 1-4-1 and with a team that looks out of sorts at best, Tortorella probably needs to at least prevent a players’ mutiny as has been the case with a bevy of Flyers coaches over the years. The musical chairs syndrome of lineup changes and line combinations is not endearing him to many people but it’s probably not a cause for a rash firing. What is certain is there’s a lot of hockey left and if Tortorella can somehow have a positive impact on the development of Matvei Michkov, Jett Luchanko, Jamie Drysdale and Tyson Foerster (aside from Tuesday night’s healthy scratch) than that’s worth the rather less than impressive beginning to 2024-25.
Perhaps the worst case scenario would be either the players tuning him out or Briere waking up one morning and deciding to completely clean house, including all of Tortorella’s assistant coaches. Both are possible but with the coach seemingly in lockstep with Danny Briere (although the Jett Luchanko situation might have them not completely in sync) it seems a long shot this comes out of the blue.
So while John Tortorella will not be the coach for the Flyers for an extended period, it’s safe to start thinking of coaches who could possibly fit the bill with the position the team could be in to start Matvei Michkov’s important second or third year. Here then are five coaches who could probably fill the position as it concerns the team’s rebuild, the present and the future. We’re hoping the Flyers don’t go down the retread route (Quenneville? Please no! Julien? No. Hakstol? Been there done that.)
5) Jay Woodcroft
Jay Woodcroft (who appeared in the pilot episode of the Canadian series The Littlest Hobo back in 1979) was one of the hottest coaches around after replacing Oilers head coach Dave Tippett in February, 2022. After leading the Oilers’ farm club in Bakersfield to impressive regular season results and rather deep playoff runs, Woodcroft took Edmonton to the semi-finals (Western Conference Finals) where they ran into Nathan MacKinnon and the Avs who swept Connor McDavid and crew. The following season the Oilers won 50 games under Woodcroft but when the playoffs arrived the Oilers couldn’t get over the hump, losing to Vegas in six games in the second round.
Woodcroft was 34 games over .500 in the regular season with Bakersfield and in his 133 regular season games with the Oilers he was 38 games over .500. Of course a horrible start to the 2023-24 season saw him fired last November and replaced by former Flyers assistant coach Kris Knoblauch. His name had been tied to a few vacancies since his departure but remains a free agent. He was behind the bench for Canada during the World Championships this past spring. And don’t forget in September Tortorella invited Woodcroft to take in the Flyers training camp for a few days.
Although the Flyers have no McDavid or Draisatl in their lineup, they do have Michkov, a rather youthful team and more young’uns looming in junior and Lehigh Valley. Having McDavid in the lineup certainly didn’t hurt Woodcroft’s NHL record or status as an up-and-coming coach but he didn’t have him in Bakersfield and was just as successful. It’s a new name to consider, one who has only been fired once and who wasn’t coaching in the NHL before Matvei Michkov was born. Whether he’s still on the outside looking in 12 or 24 months from now is anybody’s guess.
4) Todd Nelson
Nelson has flown under the radar but has often been in the running for vacancies for some time. The coach, coming off a Calder Cup championship with the Hershey Bears this past season, was in the running for Carolina’s vacancy over a decade ago and was listed as a possible successor to Peter Laviolette in Washington after he was fired. Nelson, who was also considered for a replacement to Rick Bowness in Winnipeg, had a cup of coffee in the NHL behind the bench back in 2014-15 when he coached Edmonton for 51 games, replacing Dallas Eakins. He was also an assistant coach in Dallas for a couple of seasons before resigning in 2022.
Nelson has had success not just with Hershey. In 2016-17 he coached the Grand Rapids Griffins to a Calder Cup championship. And in 2003-04 and 2004-05 he was coach of the Colonial Cup champions Muskegon Fury of the old International Hockey League. Through 536 regular season minor-league games he is 141 games over .500 and is nine games over .500 in 71 playoff contests. And he was AHL Coach of the Year this past season. Simply put, Nelson has the pedigree that could be a strong fit with the Flyers. Not exactly the hardass that Tortorella is (who is?) but with enough experience dealing with developing young talent he could be a strong contender to finally get a full-time NHL coaching job.
3) Mike Sullivan
Credit to PHLY for tossing this name a few months ago but the more one gets less nauseous thinking of a former Penguins coach behind a Flyers bench the more one thinks it could be a fit. Of course if it drove Penguins nation crazy it might be worth it alone. Yet Sullivan, who currently sits at almost 170 games over .500 in his regular season coaching career, could be a fit for a number of logical reasons.
First, he’s won a cup. Two actually. Secondly, both he and Tortorella have a strong working relationship through USA Hockey and of course the fact the two seemed to be tied at the hip. Sullivan was an assistant for Tortorella in Tampa Bay for a few seasons. He also filled the same role when Tortorella was with the Rangers for a few seasons. And prior to becoming Pittsburgh’s head coach he was part of Tortorella’s coaching staff in Vancouver. Simply put, the two know how to work together and have a synergy. It’s fair to criticize such a coach as he truly hasn’t worked with a younger, developing core. The Penguins basically went all in for years and years to win Cups, often leaving their draft cupboard bare and playing with an aging team. So how he might work with a Michkov, Bonk, Drysdale or Foerster is up for debate.
Tortorella isn’t the general manager but he looks to be moving into the front office here at some point. So while it’s still a bit of a longshot to see Sullivan jumping an aging sinking ship in Pittsburgh for a budding and hopefully blossoming Flyers team, there’s enough ties to at the very least make him a possible candidate when the time arrives. Sullivan also switching allegiances from one Pennsylvania team to another would probably not mean much of a relocation for him at least short-term. Pittsburgh was pissed off when Jagr signed with the Flyers ages ago. Would not expect a different reaction if this materialized.
2) Paul Maurice
Sure, it’s a no-brainer to pick the head coach of the latest Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers to be the next Flyers coach. It’s also far more unlikely now that with that ring on his finger Maurice is eager to leave Florida for a team still years from being in the mix of contenders. And a hell of a lot less likely now that will happen after Maurice and the Panthers agreed to a multi-year contract extension Tuesday.
Had Florida lost to Edmonton last season, Maurice’s relationship with the Panthers would’ve been quite strained. Coming back to a bench knowing you historically choked in the Finals might have shortened Maurice’s tenure with Florida and improved the Flyers’ chances of landing him. But by winning the coach certainly has more leeway and tarmac regarding his stint in Miami.
Maurice could be consider a retread (Hartford, Carolina, Toronto, Winnipeg and now Florida) to some folks. His brand of hockey also might not be a great fit for a Flyers team that will still be big in some spots but speedier and smaller in others. The Flyers don’t look like their brand of hockey will be smash-mouth anytime soon. Yet stranger things have transpired before in the NHL. If Maurice was shown the door, er, taxi like Gerald Gallant was with Florida in 2016 when he was fired anything is possible. Besides, Maurice does have a tie to the Flyers. Philadelphia drafted Maurice with the 252nd pick (the final pick) in the 1985 NHL draft. He never played a game with the Flyers.
Again a nice thought but after Tuesday night’s news it’s probably not in the cards at all.
1) Brad Shaw
When Tortorella was hired, Briere’s biggest addition wasn’t the head coach, it was the pseudo-genius that tagged along with Torts. Brad Shaw should be a head coach NOW in the NHL. What he has managed to do with a rather ragtag assortment of defensemen on this Flyers roster is a testament to his abilities as a coach and communicator. What he did with Nick Seeler in two seasons caused the player to go from almost retirement to having a guaranteed four-year contract he signed around the deadline. What he did with Rasmus Ristolainen (when he was healthy) was another feather in his cap, taking what was a gong show in his defensive zone play to a serviceable defenseman who looks like he can actually do the basics now well. Not great, but well. And whether he honed Sean Walker’s skillset is doubtful, the fact Shaw managed to make him a near-perfect fit into the blueline (and get a first round pick from it in the Colorado trade) is another obvious plus.
If you think of what Shaw did with those aforementioned players, think of what he might be able to do not just with Jamie Drysdale but Oliver Bonk, Emil Andrae and defensemen that are here or on the way. And Torts passing on the position (with Briere’s approval being the key) to Shaw would provide the organization with a sense of continuity, something they haven’t had for a while behind the bench. If he’s offered a position elsewhere more power to him, but Brad Shaw should become the next Flyers head coach when the time comes.
