Rick Tocchet's landing in Philadelphia as the Flyers seemed virtually inevitable. Many believed it would just be a matter of time before Tocchet and the Flyers ended up together.
That was the case this summer. Tocchet left the Vancouver Canucks after a complicated season, to put it mildly.
The Flyers were eager to bring in the former Jack Adams winner. But this wasn’t just about signing a high-profile coach. It was about harnessing all of Tocchet’s experience, both as a player and coach.
Tocchet was the Flyers’ sixth-round pick in the 1983 NHL Draft. He played in Philly from 1984 to 1991. He won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh before ending his playing days with the Flyers during the 2001-02 season.
Fast-forward more than two decades, and Tocchet has roughly 15 years of coaching experience. It was his time in Pittsburgh as an assistant coach to Mike Sullivan that marked Tocchet’s pedigree as a coach.
Tocchet is credited with helping Penguins’ star forward Phil Kessel fit into the club’s dynamic after arriving from Toronto. Kessel had been a much-maligned figure in Toronto, eventually forcing the Maple Leafs to trade him.
In Pittsburgh, it was Kessel’s relationship with Tocchet that helped the Penguins star become a key cog in the machine that won back-to-back Cups. The following piece goes into detail about what Tocchet did for the Penguins as an assistant.
With Tocchet now the bench boss in Philly, the team is hoping he can rekindle some of his magic with another star player: Trevor Zegras.
Tocchet can rescue Zegras like he did Kessel
Zegras and Kessel have quite a bit in common. Kessel had been a first-round pick of the Boston Bruins but found himself in a potential contract dispute. So, the Bruins sent him to the Maple Leafs in a substantial trade.
Kessel’s time in Toronto was rocky at best. He left the Maple Leafs needing a reset. He got that in Pittsburgh and was a major key in the Penguins’ two Cup victories under Mike Sullivan.
Zegras, like Kessel, was a first-round pick. He didn’t quite live up to his potential with the Anaheim Ducks. Despite a couple of solid seasons, his struggles over the last two seasons, plus injury issues, prompted speculation about a trade out of Anaheim.
That trade happened this offseason. And like Toronto and Pittsburgh, the Flyers are banking on Zegras finding his game like Kessel did in Pittsburgh.
The difference is that the Maple Leafs didn’t support Kessel the way the Penguins did. Yes, Kessel was a great player in Toronto. But he wasn’t the dominant force he was in Pittsburgh. The credit, of course, goes to Tocchet.
This time around, Tocchet has another opportunity to transform the fortunes of another beleaguered young star. Zegras will get every chance to show he can be a superstar in the NHL. He’ll likely play with phenom Matvei Michkov.
If things work out for Zegras in Philly like they did for Kessel in Pittsburgh, the Flyers could have the makings of one of the best young top-six forwards in the game.
It’s a bit of a gamble. But if there’s anyone who can transform the Flyers and Zegras, it’s Rick Tocchet.