Photo Courtesy Of, Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
As the 6th day of Training Camp has closed and with three pre-season tilts already out of the way, there is a lot to discuss and analyze from the Philadelphia Flyers perspective.
Most apparently would be the rigours of John Tortorella’s training camp. Something that’s been dubbed by players as the “Torturella” camp. Deservingly so with the amount of skating all the players have completed already through the first 6 days of camp. The schedule has been an intense one from a skating standpoint. While the first day of Camp did not even include pucks as the players were put through numerous skating tests and conditioning skates.
Another thing to point out is the fact that the team has still not begun implementing their new system. Yes that’s right half way through Training Camp John Tortorella and his staff have still yet to fully dive into their systems and begin implementing the structure they would like to see the Flyers play with stylistically moving ahead.Â
Doing so and ensuring the team is on the same page and executing the new system appropriately is going to be a challenge. However, I believe the coaching staff and Tortorella are not expecting such structure and new style of play to be adopted seamlessly and immediately. There are going to be uncomfortable conversations to be had along with a learning curve associated with putting said system into place. This is all a major part of the evaluation and assessment period that appears to be taking place at the moment.
It’s easy to tell with the way the Flyers have operated in the first few days of camp that there are certain aspects within these players’ games that are going to be challenged and dissected as we move along. Effectively this could be labeled as a symptom of the process being put into place by John Tortorella and his staff.
As with any coaching staff they may look at things differently than the previous regimes. So despite there still being areas of the Flyers game that severely need adjustments. How to address that is something being contemplated and worked on.
What Tortorella and his staff appear to be doing is recognizing the areas the team needs improvement and adjustments. The goal now is to use the other half of training camp to implement their on ice systems in a way that addresses some of the poor habits and structural tendencies present. In a hope to eliminate these from the Flyers game and certain players’ games going forward.Â
This is not going to be an easy process. Nonetheless, it is still a process and not something that will fully take effect overnight. Simply put, employing a new system and trying to remove certain bad habits out of players’ games is no easy task. Despite this, it’s evident Tortorella and his staff are putting the correct pieces in place to attack the weaknesses in the Flyers game and in their players’ games to ultimately improve them for the better. It must be noted that in order to be successful in making these types of changes there may be bumps and uncomfortable circumstances along the way. That’s all attributed to the give and take needed to really change things
Players are going to have to realize that certain sacrifices need to be made for the team to execute these systems moving ahead. Accepting that fact is all a part of the new mentality the team needs to take on and establish. The results of putting in place a new style of play may not be there instantaneously but that is an aspect that requires patience. It takes time to put these systems into place, as well as, ensure that a new culture and identity is being formed.
In order for players to remove bad habits in their game and become familiar with new playing styles and structures this is something that requires time as well. The main thing to focus on is that action is being put into place by Tortorella and his staff. Although, it may not translate to results in an immediate fashion this is where patience needs to be embraced by the fan base and come into play.
A seamless transition into these new systems, and removing some of the bad habits from the team’s game would be ideal. Realistically doing so is going to be a slow process that may include bumps in the road. It needs to be accepted that such changes looking to be made are not easy ones to make and tough decisions will likely be needed as the process expands.Â
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What’s apparent though is that Tortorella and his staff are leaving no stones unturned in the efforts to implement these new systems as effectively as possible. In doing so the hope and goal is to bring out a more structured, team-centric style of play and on ice identity. Consequently, we’ll see how the Flyers adapt and if certain players who do not fit this mold are eventually no longer a part of the solution as the organization looks ahead.
Gettin Gritty Wit It
On this week’s Gettin Gritty Wit It podcast Yariv and Vasili discuss Training Camp so far and their impressions. They also dive into standout players and their thoughts on the first three pre-season games. Some other topics addressed are the Couturier injury, and the fact that patience is needed when assessing how Tortorella and his staff are implementing and getting the team to buy into their systems.
A great new segment was also introduced in this episode. This was something brought forward to engage further with our listeners. What we’ve begun doing is reading out comments from our YouTube videos at the end of each episode and going over some of the talking points and ideas you the listener are bringing forward. It’s a fun way to end the show and involve you all. We’re looking forward to continually reading out your comments as the weeks go by and getting more engaged in some conversations regarding the Flyers with you the listener directly. So please keep those comments coming and thank you all for listening!
Here are some other topics we also discussed this week:
-When should we see results?
-Players impressions
-Torts watching from above?
-Top 4 D not their best
-Philosophy moving ahead
Thanks to all of you for listening, and for all the support you’ve shown the podcast and the network recently it does not go unnoticed. Please like, subscribe and share. Have a great weekend everybody!
