The Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella on Thursday, replacing him with Brad Shaw on an interim basis.
Tortorella, 66, had a year remaining on his contract. Following a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday, he expressed frustration over the Flyers' recent decline in the standings, sounding like he wasn't keen to continue coaching a rebuilding team.
Under Tortorella, the Flyers exceeded expectations since last season. They narrowly missed the post-season last year despite management's hesitant rebuilding approach and the lack of experienced goalie depth following Carter Hart's mid-season departure.
They were still in the chase this season. However, trading away Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost and Erik Johnson gutted their roster depth, which was further weakened by a recent injury to blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen. They wound up tumbling down the standings and out of contention.
Finding a suitable replacement will be management's off-season priority.
The Hockey News’ Adam Proteau and Jonathan Bailey suggested David Carle of the University of Colorado as a candidate. Before Tortorella’s firing, Philly Hockey Now's William James suggested the same. Ben Kuzma of The Vancouver Province wondered if Canucks coach Rick Tocchet might land behind the Flyers' bench.
TSN's Pierre LeBrun mentioned Carle and Tocchet, pointing out that the latter is the only current NHL coach on an expiring contract, though it comes with a club option for next season. He wondered if Joel Quenneville might be part of the Flyers' search.
LeBrun also cited interim coaches Joe Sacco in Boston and Anders Sorensen in Chicago. He mused about Peter Laviolette's future if the New York Rangers miss the playoffs. The Hockey News’ Sam Carchidi and Proteau also wondered about AHL Lehigh Valley coach Ian Laperriere as an option.
Tortorella Gone, But Many Flyers Problems RemainJohn Tortorella has a lot of redeeming qualities, including
the fact he develops a culture with his hard-driving, old-school style.
Before his firing, Tortorella felt the Flyers had to improve their goaltending after this season. He indicated Hart's departure last season left the position in turmoil, relying on inexperienced goaltenders Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov and Aleksei Kolosov. As a result, the Flyers have one of the league's worst goals against per game (3.45).
Kevin Kurz of The Athletic believes Fedotov's future with the Flyers is in doubt. He has a year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.275 million, a 5-13-3 record, a 3.21 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage.
Back To The Future: Flyers Plagued By Same Old Goalie IssuesFor most of the last four decades, the Philadelphia Flyers have been the poster child for mediocre-to-poor goaltending.
The Flyers will find the market is thin this summer for free-agent goaltenders with starter experience. The notables include the oft-injured Fredrik Andersen of the Carolina Hurricanes, Jake Allen of the New Jersey Devils, and Vitek Vanecek of the Florida Panthers.
John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks is the only noteworthy goalie in the trade market. He carries an average annual value of $6.4 million through 2026-27 and a 10-team no-trade clause. The 31-year-old Gibson might not be keen to swap a rebuilding team in Anaheim for one in Philadelphia.
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