The Philadelphia Flyers missed the playoffs for the third consecutive time in 2022-23 in their first season under head coach John Tortorella. The organization underwent major changes during the season, and they will begin a long-term rebuild with a restructured front office that should include interim general manager (GM) Danny Brière. The looming rebuild, the adjustment to a new head coach with a demanding style, and the development of young talent became major topics of conversation during exit interviews on April 14.
Relationships with John Tortorella
Tortorella is the new face of the Flyers. His old-school, demanding attitude has resonated well with a Philadelphia fan base starved for a winner. However, his fiery personality isn’t always received well. The players spoke up about their individual impressions of their head coach after one season. Some appreciated the sincerity of a coach who never hides his emotions.
Rasmus Ristolainen: “It’s pretty simple and clear. It’s honest. I think the way he is, the way he coaches, he probably gets the most out of me. That’s what I appreciate – the honesty, good or bad. Sometimes I’ll need a little push and a kick in the a**.”
Owen Tippett: “I think he’s one of those old-school coaches… He wants guys to work hard each and every day. I think if you can do that, you’re going to put yourself in a good spot.”
Related: Flyers Offseason Trade Candidates: Kevin Hayes
Others specifically mentioned that Tortorella didn’t have many individual conversations with players this season. Most of them still spoke highly of the standard for performance on and off the ice set by the former Stanley Cup champion.
Noah Cates: “It was definitely interesting. I really didn’t talk to him for the first half of the year, on the ice, off the ice. It was pretty professional, and I feel like I’ve heard how that’s kind of what you get when you’re a rookie here, or with Torts, or with any coach in the league. I think that’s how a lot of those good coaches are…As long as you show up and put in the work and are willing to learn, they’ll respect that and give you some time.”
Nick Seeler: “We haven’t had very many conversations 1-on-1, but I have a ton of respect for Torts and what he’s brought to this team and the accountability he expects from his players and coaching staff and himself. He’s a guy you need to continually earn respect from.”
Travis Konecny: “You just knew every night you had to work hard, and if you didn’t, you were going to be held accountable. There’s something to be said about that. It doesn’t matter who you are… Whether it’s practice or morning skate, he was always paying attention to that stuff. We had a good relationship. To be honest, we didn’t really talk. We just kind of understood each other, and I knew what he expected of me.”
Players React to Flyers Rebuild
Scott Laughton and Sean Couturier offered insight into the big picture of the upcoming rebuild. Veterans typically don’t have the best job security in these situations, but the two longest-tenured players on the roster spoke with optimism about roles as leaders who can prepare the younger players for a successful future when the organization is finally ready to compete again. Couturier is signed through the 2029-30 season, and Laughton is signed through 2025-26.
Scott Laughton: “I’m not getting any younger, and you obviously want to win in this league. I think that’s why you play the game, and I’ve said it before. I want to be here and be part of this solution and help these young guys out and try and take that next step for this franchise. I want to be here for it, but yeah, time will tell with Danny (Brière). I think he’s got to put his fingerprints on this and what he wants to do with this team.”
Sean Couturier: “I think it’s important to do this rebuild the right way. What I’m saying is, if you look at kind of like New York a couple years ago, they send out that letter and you think it’s a big rebuild – three, four years – and next thing you know they’re in the playoffs the following year, two years later, and they’ve been good since. It’s like I said, things can change quick in the NHL. We’ve seen it the last two, three years. We were supposed to be one of the top-end teams, and we went to the bottom of the standings. It’s on us as a team, as players, as an organization to switch it around and get back to where this organization belongs.”
Related: Flyers Overhauling Organization with New Power Structure
Joel Farabee offered the perspective of a younger player. The former first-round pick showed flashes of offensive promise late in the 2022-23 season, and he hopes to grow into a foundational piece that the organization can count on as a major part of the future. Farabee will try to regain the form he showed as one of the best offensive players on the team in 2020-21.
Joel Farabee: “In the long run, it’s (the rebuild is) really going to help out. Whether it’s next year, whether it takes a couple years, I think you just try to build the confidence and trust with your teammates…You look at some of the really good teams in this league, Tampa (Bay Lightning), Colorado (Avalanche), all those guys have played together for years and years.”
Development of Young Flyers
The Flyers set out to evaluate the young talent within the organization as one of their key goals in 2022-23. Some players earned themselves opportunities as part of the long-term solution. Owen Tippett showed tremendous development as a dangerous sniper and a power forward with 27 goals. He was the most notable bright spot for a team that finished seventh from the bottom of the NHL standings.
Cam York was arguably the best defenseman on the team in the second half of the season. Noah Cates earned constant praise from Tortorella for becoming a reliable defensive center despite minimal experience down the middle. All three players took advantage of increased roles late in the season when the organization pivoted to the mentality of a rebuild.
Frost didn’t find his way into Tortorella’s good graces as much as some of his teammates this season. However, he deserves credit for solid offensive production with 46 points in 81 games after he struggled to produce early in the season with just six points in his first 27 games. He spoke about the chemistry of the young group coming up together.
Morgan Frost: “I think we all believe in each other. We were given a lot of opportunity there in the second half (of 2022-23), obviously thankful for that. We did earn it. I think that’s the way the organization is going, so it helped us. I think we have a lot of confidence in each other, and we want to turn this around as quick as possible.”
Owen Tippett: “I think the more situations you get in, the more comfortable you become in those situations. (It) helps with confidence. I think when you play those kinds of big minutes in (the) last minute (or) periods in games, it goes a long way. You become more comfortable in those situations. I think it helps a lot with just overall confidence and just knowing that you’re trusted at times. It for sure goes a long way, just as an overall aspect.”
Scott Laughton: “Right off the top of my head is Tipper (Tippett). I think he took a massive step. (He) was dominant for a lot of games, especially when TK (Konecny) was out and kind of took over that role for us. Frosty (Frost) takes a huge step, scores 20 goals or close to, I think, and plays some good hockey for us. And Catesy (Cates) plays out of position, plays center all year, and plays against the top guys. I thought he did a hell of a job. So, there’s three guys that kind of come to mind. And then you have Yorkie (York) on the back end that I thought looked very good again, poised with the puck and makes plays, and very skilled, and looks like he can run a power play.”
Hayes and Provorov on Trade Block
Another part of the goal in the first season under a tough coach like Tortorella was to determine the players who didn’t fit the long-term plan of the organization. The long-time bench boss sat experienced NHL players as healthy scratches repeatedly throughout the season to enforce his high standards. He has emphasized the idea of addition by subtraction during the upcoming offseason.
Kevin Hayes is the likeliest big-name trade candidate to move on during the offseason. His style of play doesn’t mesh well with Tortorella’s expectations, and his salary and age don’t align with the focus of the organization. Ivan Provorov earned the respect of his head coach, but he might not be fully committed a long-term future in Philadelphia.
Kevin Hayes: “I’m turning 31. I picked up the message that was sent months ago. I’m okay with it. It’s their decision. I don’t want to say I’m suited for a contender, because I think I’m suited for anyone to be honest. We’ll see how that unfolds. Their decisions have probably already been made. We don’t know them yet. I’m sure I’ll find out around the draft.”
“Younger guys are playing. I don’t know if they want a guy that’s making the money that I’m making playing 9-10 minutes a night. I don’t make those decisions – they do.”
“They need to go younger here if they want to win. That’s how you win in this league. You’ve got to rebuild, and that’s what they’re in now. As much as I would love to stay and help it out, I have no idea if that’s going to be the case.”
Ivan Provorov: “I’m still the player, he’s still the coach. Obviously, there’s things you’re not going to agree upon. But if both people put an effort to come to a solution, I think you can, and that’s how our year went. We’re going to continue to keep getting on the same page. Obviously, there’s going to be things that come up that we probably are not going to agree on. But like I said, his job is to coach the best way that he can, and my job is to play the best way that I can.”
“That’s (The plan for a rebuild is) definitely not exactly what you want to hear because I feel like I came into a rebuild (in 2016-17). We had one good year, the bubble year. That was also kind of paused. We were going into the pause on a nine-game winning streak, or it was just snapped I think. Then after that, things went sideways, and we tried to quick fix. That didn’t work. I wouldn’t say it’s the most positive news you can hear, but there’s a bright future here, and there’s a lot of great players that can keep growing.”
Optimism for Return of Couturier, Atkinson
The absence of Couturier and Atkinson handed a devastating blow to a team that already had no margin for error. The Flyers lacked the offensive firepower to keep up with playoff contenders in a league that continues to trend in an offensive direction. The NHL has seen its two highest averages in goals per game since 1995-96 the past two seasons, but Philadelphia ranked 31st in the league in scoring in 2021-22 and 2022-23 combined.
Any team missing arguably the two most established veteran offensive players on their roster for an entire season will have a harder time scoring, but will the return of Couturier and Atkinson in 2023-24 help solve the problem? The veterans on the team seem to think so, and the two injured players hope to hit the ground running.
Cam Atkinson: “Obviously, a lot has to do with staying healthy. If Couts (Couturier) and I obviously stay healthy, who knows with the changes that are going to be made this year? the young guys that have taken a step forward this year are only going to take another step forward next year to push each other. I just personally don’t think that we’re that far off.”
Sean Couturier: “If you look at kind of like (the) New York (Rangers) a couple years ago, they send out that letter and you think it’s a big rebuild – three, four years – and next thing you know they’re in the playoffs the following year, two years later, and they’ve been good since. It’s like I said, things can change quick in the NHL. We’ve seen it the last two, three years. We were supposed to be one of the top-end teams, and we went to the bottom of the standings. It’s on us as a team, as players, as an organization to switch it around and get back to where this organization belongs.”
Tony DeAngelo: “ (Couturier and Atkinson would be) two really good first-line players on a lot of teams in the league. When you’re getting those guys back, you’re replacing two fours (fourth-liners) for two first-liners. It’s a big difference. I don’t know where we would have went with them, but I think that it’s almost like two free agent signings at this point because they haven’t played in so long. So maybe that’s the moves they make. I don’t know, but to me, getting those two guys back in, they play in all situations. You got your top faceoff guy, your top center, your power play guy, your top penalty kill guy, most likely, and then you got your top, maybe your second top scorer as far as goal scoring. It’s a big difference. You’re looking at 50 goals probably there (between the two), 50 goals that we could’ve used.”
Related: Flyers’ Rebuild Hinges on Carter Hart Trade Decision
Chuck Fletcher hoped that a significant amount of the issues from the 2021-22 season would correct themselves with the return of Couturier, Hayes, and Ryan Ellis to the lineup. His wishful thinking went terribly wrong when two of those players never suited up in 2022-23.
If Couturier and Atkinson can return healthy in 2023-24, the Flyers will have two legitimate top-six forwards. However, the notion that two players past the age of 30 with 22 years in the NHL between them will return to form with no complications is incredibly idealistic. The optimism from DeAngelo and the determination from Couturier and Atkinson reflect a positive attitude within the locker room. However, the organization should not consider the return of the two veteran forwards as major additions that will fix Philadelphia’s offensive struggles.