John Tortorella acknowledges Flyers play style is geared toward future arrivals

Matvei Michkov won’t be in a Philadelphia Flyers uniform for a few years as he plays out his contract in the KHL. But that doesn’t mean the team isn’t already game planning for his arrival, among others, down the line.

The Flyers have adopted a more aggressive style in terms of how they play. They are willing to take more risks in the offensive zone, and all over the ice in general. That has to do with potentially leaving the defensive zone early and pulling off long stretch passes to set up opportunities at the other end.

It’s all a part of the plan for John Tortorella. And it’s not just about this season’s group of Flyers either. The team is already game planning for the higher end scorers and overall talent they will have coming in during the next few years.

”You get to the future, you start moving away a couple of years from now when the Mad Russian comes over here and you start bringing in maybe some UFAs when the time’s right with some more offensive skill. I want that to fall into place when they come in. I want to stay with this style,” Tortorella said after practice on Thursday.

So Tortorella wants this current group to get used to playing a more aggressive style as it’s going to be something the team is going to continue to use in the future. Many of these players may not be here by the time the likes of Michkov and Cutter Gauthier come around. But the structure and culture of the team is likely to remain. It then becomes easier to work other players into it as it will have already been a few years of using the same style.

It’s also why we’ve seen, on most nights, a much better Flyers team than a season ago. Now in the second year of Tortorella, the players are more aware of what is expected of them. It’s easier to play in a structure that you have now had a full season to work with. Players thrive on that kind of routine. They know where they need to be and they know that they are given the ability to take more risks as they see fit.

The sample size is different, but you can begin to see the trends when looking at how many goals the Flyers have scored and given up between this season and last. The team gave up 56 more goals than they scored last year (220 GF/256 GA) while they have scored two more than their opponents this season (64 GF/62 GA). They are also on pace to score more and give up less per game as well. As of right they, they are giving up 2.82 goals per game versus the 3.37 from last year. There’s still 60 more games to go, but it’s an early indication that things are clicking.

And there’s a chance that things will only get better as the Flyers go further and further into their rebuild. Adding in more talent is the obvious way to play better. But it’s the structure of the team that matters as well. If a team isn’t gelling or playing well together, it won’t matter who is on the roster. Just look at the Edmonton Oilers. One or two star players doesn’t make a team if there are other issues at hand.

While having Michkov, Gauthier, etc. on the roster can only help the Flyers in terms of high-end talent, playing well now and building the foundation will help make things that much more successful down the line.