Kevin Hayes is not Helping the Flyers…Or Himself
By Scott Cole
The Flyers season is almost over, thankfully. The team is using what little time is left to examine the players they have, both veterans and younger guys, and see who is a fit for what they are trying to do moving on. This is among the reasons that John Tortorella has taken some time away from the bench and has spent that time in the visiting management boxes during this recent road trip. It is also allowing his assistants a chance to step in and take a more active role.
One of these assistants, Rocky Thompson, recently took over the role as coach while Torts viewed the game from up above. And following the Flyers 4-2 loss to St. Louis the other night, Thompson had this to say during his press conference:
"“Quite frankly, it looks like some guys in here don’t even care. They’re just not trying.”"
Well now, that is a comment! It harkens back to things that Tortorella said earlier this year about the culture of the Flyers. Some of the guys just got used to getting a paycheck and not really doing their thing. That attitude will not fly with Tortorella and it is nice to see that his assistants share the same vision.
So, who are they talking about? Not the young guys. A lot of them are fighting for a job. So, it’s gotta be a vet, right? Who fits that bill?
Sean Couturier? Nope. He tried everything he could to be able to play this year. Tortorella is even excited that Coots is aggravated that he can’t play because it shows his passion for the game. Scott Laughton? He’s the only one on the team wearing a letter on his sweater. He’s been a steady, quiet leader all season. Travis Konecny? He also did everything he could to come back from an injury even though the season didn’t mean anything at this point. This pretty much leaves one person: Kevin Hayes