The premise may seem ridiculous, and thanks to a 2015 rule change is now outlawed, but trading a coach mid-season would've been a way to unburden the Flyers, put the rebuild back on track, and make just a bit of fun trivia all at the same time.
Now, the idea of a coach trade has been tossed about on occasion, but rarely has it ever been pulled off. The most recent example is in 1987, When the Quebec Nordiques traded their head coach to the New York Rangers in exchange for a first-round pick (5th overall) in the 1988 NHL Draft and $75,000. In exchange, they got Michel Bergeron, who wouldn't last very long in New York but certainly had the city and league buzzing about the move. It will remain the last.
So let's lay out the scenario where the Flyers shock everyone and trade Rick Tocchet. A few dominoes would have had to fall first.
The Flyers have to play better, but not a lot better
If the Flyers don't improve fast, Tocchet's seat might get too hot, and the pressure to act might become too great for Daniel Briere and Keith Jones.
Despite the strong Flyers ties binding the coach and front office team, results and dollars matter, and the Flyers will be unable to generate either soon if the team doesn't start playing better hockey and stringing together a few wins.
As long as they can do that, without putting themselves into a playoff push position, then they can set up for domino #2.
Another coach is fired
Last season, two coaches (Dean Evason with Columbus and Jim Hiller with LA) were fired before the trade deadline. Both were also in control of teams that believed they should have been in the playoff hunt but weren't.
Mid-season coach firings are about optics but also about trying to right a sinking ship. Neither team was able to impact their seasons enough; were coaches fired this season, a coach like Rick Tocchet could make an impact.
His last two stops, his first full season in both, he turned the teams around into playoff teams, and for Vancouver he was given the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. With that in mind, and a contract already in place, you'd have to believe a team would think about bringing him in for the right price.
Tocchet was also a mid-season hire in Vancouver, and that half year likely led to their success in the 2023-2024 season.
The price is right
Letting go of a coach mid-year for the Flyers is essentially punting the season. You have to get a quality asset, like a 1st round pick, in the deal.
If you find a team desperate enough to save its season, you've got to pull the trigger.
You have a coach who can step in
Calling up a coach isn't as easy as calling up a player, so the Flyers would have to have someone on their staff who can step in on short notice; the Flyers have Todd Reirden.
Reirden has two years as a head coach, backing the Capitals to back-to-back division wins in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. He has also been a coach at other spots around the league, like Pittsburgh, at the NHL and AHL levels.
Will this happen? No, it is now illegal, but frankly, it shouldn't be.
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