Philadelphia Flyers

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.

The latest misstep for the Flyers organization surfaced on Monday, as Anthony SanFilippo of CrossingBroad.com reported that Director of Medical Services Jim McCrossin and assistant athletic trainer Sal Raffa had filed a lawsuit against Comcast and others after being diagnosed with rare medical conditions.

At this stage of the Flyers season, now 55 games in with 27 still to go, the results are essentially meaningless. It’s not about wins and losses at this point. Despite that, when a head coach addresses playing with passion, accountability, and having a winning attitude as areas of concern, it raises eyebrows. He’s not the first to do it either.

There is a good chance we are seeing the end of the Claude Giroux era in Philadelphia.

GM Chuck Fletcher met with the media on Friday morning in the wake of an announcement that Sean Couturier had undergone back surgery that morning and would be out for the remainder of the season. Fletcher also provided more insight to the uncertain returns of both Ryan Ellis and Kevin Hayes in the 2021-22 season.