On Wednesday, May 14th the search for the 25th head coach in Philadelphia Flyers franchise history came to an end.
In the days prior, rumors swirled that the Flyers were highly interested in Rick Tocchet’s coaching services.
Such as the cryptic post below from ESPN’s John Buccigross foreshadowed:
The organization finally made it official and hired the former Flyer as John Tortorella’s replacement shortly thereafter.
Tocchet returns to Philadelphia in a full-circle moment, the city where he began his NHL career back in 1983.
Other candidates that were in the running for the position appeared to be, Brad Shaw, along with Western Michigan University’s head coach, Pat Ferschweiler.
The former Flyers captain ultimately received a five-year $5.25 million dollar deal, effectively making him one of the highest paid coaches in the NHL.
Tocchet’s contract is quite lucrative considering the fact he hasn’t necessarily had the most tangible success as an NHL head coach.
In nine seasons the Flyers new bench boss put forth a record of, 286-265-87 with only two playoff berths. Although, it should be noted Tocchet did win two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With multiple teams in pursuit of Tocchet to be their next head coach that likely played a factor into the value of the contract he eventually signed with the Flyers.
Now that the dust has settled, what exactly Rick Tocchet brings to the table as the new Flyers head coach remains to be seen.
However, one facet of his coaching repertoire that was consistently mentioned during Friday’s introductory presser was his communication skills.
General manager Danny Briere stated that Tocchet’s ability to build long lasting relationships, coupled with his teaching, and communication skills, all factored into the decision making process behind the hiring.
Specifically, Briere noted that Tocchet’s tenure with the Arizona Coyotes impressed him because he took an underwhelming team and made them competitive.
To Briere, those seasons Tocchet coached the Coyotes and his work as an assistant with the Penguins was more important than his Jack Adams winning season in 2023-24 with the Canucks. Due to the fact, it highlighted Tocchet’s ability to be an impactful teacher to NHL players.
When taking into consideration that the Flyers former head coach John Tortorella may have not been the most adept communicator, bringing on a coach that communicated well certainly seemed to be a prerequisite for whoever was going to land this job.
The situations that unfolded the last two seasons with captain Sean Couturier, Cam York, and John Tortorella may have played a part in ensuring the next Flyers head coach is one that communicates in a manner that is more receptive to the roster.
One statement Tocchet made regarding communication with players provided insight into how the player/coach relationship has evolved significantly over the course of the past few decades in the NHL.
Tocchet mentioned that while he was a player, typically you would do anything the coach wanted you to without much care as to why. Whereas today’s athlete is always asking questions and wants to understand the reasoning behind the strategies or tactics being put into place on the ice.
“You have to be a partner with the players, it’s not a dictatorship. There has to be accountability don’t get me wrong. But it’s important to let the players help steer the ship too” Tocchet, said.
Based on the statement above, having an open dialogue surrounding on ice strategies is something Tocchet wants his roster to do. Once again this is an approach that may not have been relied upon by the prior coaching regime.
Another significant positive the Tocchet hire brings to the forefront is just how respected the former Flyer is around league circles and amongst players.
General manager Danny Briere believes that having Tocchet in the fold will help make Philadelphia a destination players want to go to.
“On my end there’s no doubt that Rick is going to make us more enticing for players to come here, there’s no doubt about that.
There’s already agents calling and letting us know that. And that’s kudos to him to the relationships that he’s built and the reputation that he’s built over the years. It’s so positive in that regard that there’s no doubt in my mind that yes, it’s going to make us more of an attractive team to join.”
If Tocchet’s cache and relationships around the NHL as a whole can boost Philadelphia’s ability to entice high end talent to the team that will certainly be a welcome addition.
Over the past decade one could argue the Flyers have not been at the top of many high end players lists, in terms of organizations they are looking to play for.
Changing that narrative amongst elite level talent and the Flyers becoming a desirable destination is something that should be a top priority for this front office moving ahead.
Hiring Rick Tocchet or any well respected coach for that matter isn’t the only way to accomplish that, but it’s a good place to start.
The most interesting aspect of the Tocchet hire is that despite Briere’s insistence there will be no change to the front office’s current plan, it certainly feels as though the team is poised to make significant off-season acquisitions.
When looking at the roster make-up and overall asset pool for the Flyers that only becomes even more apparent.
Tocchet’s hiring may signal the beginning of several key additions for Philadelphia this off-season and beyond.
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