Kevin Durso

Before the puck even hits the ice, the Flyers are already dealing with more than their share of injury woes.

According to a report from Crossing Broad's Anthony SanFilippo, Flyers forward Sean Couturier suffered a herniated disc and could miss significant time this upcoming season.

In a poll conducted by The Athletic ranking NHL front office confidence levels based on fan input, the Flyers ranked dead last, 32nd in the NHL. 

On Wednesday, you saw that the current regime is incapable of handling a rebuild. They insisted upon an aggressive retool for a fast fix, not the necessary rebuild needed. Now it’s time to start that rebuild anyway, but focus on the front office that has so clearly set the Flyers back.

At his introductory press conference, John Tortorella recalled thinking about what an opportunity to coach in Philadelphia would be like as far back as the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals. Now he gets that opportunity, trying to restore a standard for the Orange and Black emblem that he expressed great respect for on Friday.

If you were wondering just what the Flyers were going to try to do with this offseason or questioning if they were serious about an aggressive approach, you got your answer on Thursday. Tortorella is only the first piece of what could be a very busy offseason that features equally as many changes and moves as the last, likely even more aggressive than ever before.

According to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, finalists for the Flyers head coaching position are believed to include Barry Trotz and John Tortorella. Crossing Broad’s Anthony SanFilippo also reported that Peter DeBoer is also a finalist.

As Bruce Cassidy enters the coaching free-agent market, more names of interest are entering the Flyers coaching search.

There has been little development in the Flyers coaching search over the last few days. For many of the teams in search of a head coach in the NHL – only the New York Islanders and Montreal Canadiens have officially named a head coach – it seems that everything is in a holding pattern.

The problem with each of these possibilities is that they are rooted in hope. Hope that the injured players return as advertised and stay healthy. Hope the young players take that big step everyone has waited for. Hope that you can perhaps manufacture some hockey trades or free-agent signings to plug in the holes that the team is lacking for speed and skill and make it all work.