When the Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, it felt like a chance for the organization to take a meaningful step forward and hire a real coach from the plethora of available options… and then they hired a gimmick. Briere and his former Flyer buddies in the front office decided to hire another former Flyer in Rick Tocchet, whose track record as an NHL head coach was rather underwhelming at best.
We knew most of the faults Tocchet had at the time. We even begged for them not to sign him in the first place. But they couldn’t help themselves and here we are, another Philadelphia Flyers season spiraling out of control, thanks to not only the lackluster roster, but in large part due to the system Tocchet installed upon his arrival with plenty of off-ice drama already going around.
The dump and chase scheme for a team that isn’t designed for it, the excruciatingly slow exits out of the neutral zone, the continued special teams struggles, still being stick in the bottom third of the league in shots on goal and goals for all while constantly berating their theoretical top forward Matvei Michkov for petty, months-old reasons. A problem that is starting to take on a life of its own and could have devastating effects on the franchise for years to come if it’s not nipped in the bud soon.
He only made the playoffs twice (once if we’re not counting the pandemic bubble) in nine seasons behind the bench, which already should’ve been a red flag for a team that is hellbent on snapping a five-year-and-counting playoff drought.
Is Tocchet exclusively to blame here? Not really. There’s definitely blood on Danny Briere’s hands for his questionable roster construction and hiring a coach that doesn’t really seem to fit the idea he had in mind when he signed half the roster to long-term deals. But, Tocchet definitely feels like the more immediate barrier between the Flyers and success… or whatever level it is the Flyers could max out at today.
If the 2025-26 season doesn’t get back on track after the Olympic break, will the Flyers fire the coach after one season?
The answer is probably not.
If they fire him they essentially admit they screwed up hiring him, which is a PR nightmare that this front office tries to avoid at all costs. Even if it is the right move, the perception would be that they had no idea what they were doing in the first place and that is something they try avoid. It’s a very state propaganda way to run a hockey team, something that really took hold during the Chuck Fletcher era and hasn’t left during Briere’s run, but, hey, who needs to do the actual right thing when they could just pretend they’re doing the right thing?
Tocchet also has four remaining years on his contract. Even though they’d have no real problem eating that if they wanted to because it falls on the business side and not the salary cap side, historically they choose not to let that kind of money sit in no man’s land. They’d rather pay Tocchet to drive the train off the rail rather than pay him not to. That is certainly a choice.
Though if they keep him, particularly if the 2026 offseason ends up being disappointing, and they go into the 2026-27 season and have similar lackluster on-ice results, then they drift into Ron Hextall/Dave Hakstol territory where Briere may seal his own fate for not cutting ties with the coach.
The pot is already starting to boil. The clock is starting to tick. Fans are already pissed off. If they end this season on a low note and next season is just more of the same, this time next year there may be a new GM in Philly. The easiest thing Briere can do to save his own ass is to fire Tocchet. Choosing to keep him could be the death knell for the entire front office regime. The ball is very much in Briere’s court to admit they made a mistake and fire Rick Tocchet before the rising angst gets any further out of control. If he doesn’t, whatever comes next is fully deserved.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com
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