Rick Tocchet rumored as one of the names to take over as head coach in Philadelphia What the Flyers need is a steady hand, discipline, and to stay out of a coach's dog house

With the firing of former Flyers head coach John Tortorella, Philly will need to find his replacement for the start of next season. With rumors starting to swirl on who could potentially be the next head coach for the Flyers, many coaches could have interest in taking over the reins of a young team in Philadelphia. 

TSN insider Pierre LeBrun had mentioned that one of the coaches who has gathered the most interest is current Vancouver Canucks head coach, Rick Tocchet, who could potentially fit in nicely with a young core.

Arizona Coyotes Head Coach Rick Tocchet

Despite the desire from Vancouver to bring back their current head coach, whose contract expires this offseason, Tocchet is uncertain about his future, and a move away from the Canucks can certainly be in the mix. 

This year in Vancouver, Tocchet has been able to coach his team to a 34-26-13 record and above a .500 winning percentage, but inconsistencies this season have kept them at fourth in the Pacific and out of a playoff spot. 

In three seasons with the Canucks, Tocchet has recorded a 104-61-25 record and took home the Jack Adams Award in 2023-24, after guiding the club to a 50-23-9 mark last year, making the playoffs but unfortunately losing in the second round to the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.  

One of the biggest positives to Tocchet potentially taking over the job in Philly could be his ability to work with a young core. 

Even with Tortorella’s fantastic pedigree, it seemed he did not have the right style to coach up a young team to have long-term success, being mediocre in his time with the Flyers. 

Tocchet, on the other hand, had taken a young team with names such as Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and many more, and was able to have winning seasons with the team. 

Players currently on the Flyers, such as Rookie Matvei Michkov, Jaime Drysdale, and plenty of others, could benefit from a fresh face in the locker room.

In his playing years, Tocchet played 11 seasons with the Flyers, being a fan favourite to many, as the power forward recorded 508 points to go along with a hefty 1,815 penalty minutes, so a reunion on the management side of the ice wouldn’t be so far-fetched.  

With the season coming to an end, LeBrun added that the Flyers will wait until after the season to begin their coaching search.

With many options in play, the Flyers’ management could finally secure the head coach to get their team headed in the right direction.