Brad Shaw has been acting as interim head coach since the Flyers parted ways with John Tortorella on March 27th. The Flyers fired Tortorella after something that took place the night of a 7-2 loss in Toronto. Something happened between the coach and defenseman Cam York and it was reported that they probably both crossed the line.
Tortorella benched York ten minutes into the game against the Leafs and left him riding the pines for the rest of the night. Apparently there was some sort of line crossing that they both were a part of and that marked the end of John Tortorella’s tenure in Philly.
Associate Coach Brad Shaw was named interim head coach and took over behind the bench that same night when the Flyers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Just to keep things interesting Shaw dressed York for the game then sat him on the bench for the entire sixty minutes. After the 6-4 Flyers victory Shaw said of York’s benching, “it was just a disciplinary issue”. So perhaps someday we’ll get a blow by blow of the “heated verbal exchange” that became the last straw but for now that is all behind us. …kind of.
Who’s Next
On the morning of the 27th Flyers GM Danny Briere said, “it was time to move in a different direction”. He also spent a lot of time talking about what Tortorella had done right for the team, it’s foundation, and the development of the young players. At the time Briere said it was too soon to determine what the Flyers will look for in their next coach.
The list of fired head coaches reads like a who’s who including the likes of Ken Hitchcock, Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube, Alain Vigneault, and now John Tortorella. All of these coaches have won the Stanley Cup with other teams except for Vigneault who lost in the finals with two different teams.
One coach who has expressed interest in the job is current interim head coach Brad Shaw. And since taking over as bench boss he’s been making a pretty good case for himself.
Brad Shaw
Despite all rumors and talk of a broken locker room towards the end of the Torts era there was no shortage of complimentary words after his departure. From the GM and throughout the locker room everyone speaks highly of the former head coach and what he has done for the team. It sounded more like an awards dinner than a firing.
Even Cam York said “I have nothing bad to say. He taught me a lot of good things. He was a really good coach for me and taught me a lot of good things I could use down the road for my career. He’s a really good coach and I wish him the best”.
Obviously something broke down somewhere. Everyone involved goes on and on about Tortorella as a foundational coach who was good for the culture and the “never say die” attitude of the club. Towards the end it seemed like maybe he was banging heads upstairs while refusing to communicate down in the locker room. Even behind the bench on game nights he had grown very quiet.
Tortorella often relied on Shaw to communicate with the players. Shaw was responsible for the penalty kill which is often referred to as the “power kill” because of it’s offensively aggressive strategy. Shaw is often credited with the development of Jamie Drysdale, and Cam York. And gets credit for his work with veterans like Travis Sanheim and the greatly improved Rasmus Ristolainen. Shaw already has an open and working line of communication with the players on his team.
Since Shaw has taken over the head coach duties the Flyers are 5-1-1. They are playing looser and much more offensively confident. There have been stretches this season where the Flyers sticks have gone completely silent. At one point they went three entire games without scoring a single goal. The Flyers have scored 32 goals in their seven games under Shaw.
Timeframe
The Flyers have set themselves up well for the upcoming draft. They have been moving veterans in exchange for draft picks and cap space. They are stockpiled with picks. The NHL cap goes up next season on top of the space they have already created. All that being said when the Flyers moved Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee before the trade deadline Danny Briere held a press conference where he downplayed expectations on the time frame.
The moves, which also included dealing Scott Laughton at the deadline, could be interpreted as this off-season being the time that we would start seeing major additions. Briere was cautious to keep expectations in check regarding that phase. We may be looking at yet another year of austerity. If that is the case you have to wonder where finding a new head coach now fits into the plan.
Brad Shaw has already been through the darkest of days with the team. He has been there through the hard times and during what Briere hopes is “rock bottom”. Brad Shaw has worked under the same foundational system as the players who have managed to stick with the team during the rebuild. He brings the hard taught fundamentals of Tortorella with a smoother more open communication style.
There are two games left in the tumultuous 2024/25 season for the Flyers. This may be the final games for interim coach Brad Shaw. He says he’s loved his time here in Philly and would like to stay in place as the team’s head coach. He would like to have the team from midsummer. From day one of development camp to implement things the way he’d like to see them done.
We will have to wait and see what direction the organization decides to take but it is safe to say that Brad Shaw has at the very least earned their consideration. He could turn out to be the best of both worlds for the Flyers. A continuation of the structure Tortorella put into place with a more humble approach.
Extra Credit: Brad Shaw is no stranger to getting through the hard times. During his NHL career as a defenseman after spending a number of seasons with the Hartford Whalers he was sent to be part of the re-established Ottawa Senators for their debut season in 1992. He played three seasons on that team which had an absolutely dreadful first three years after returning to the NHL. During that time the Senators played a total of 224 games. Their record was 33-165-18.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
http://terios2.ru/forums/index.php?autocom=gallery&req=si&img=4548