Strong and polarizing opinions are a byproduct of a passionate fan base, and Philadelphia Flyers fans have both of those in spades.
When the team announced the hiring of Rick Tocchet as the 25th – or 26th, depending on how you count it – head coach in its 58-year history, many fans were fully on board or completely against it. Now that the dust has settled, everyone has taken a step back and reconsidered the move from newer perspectives.
Maybe Tocchet is neither as good nor as bad as originally thought. He brings both positives and negatives, as any human is fallible. The Flyers may or may not tend to hire from within, but that should not make a difference at the moment.
There are benefits to hiring from within. The coach is a proven commodity regarding personality, attitude, and approach. There is also familiarity with the organization. Some people, such as Keith Jones, skated on the ice with him. Others know him from their front office roles.
Short of rolling the dice on an unproven asset, like Dave Hakstol, the pool of coaches is shallow. Most coaches are already tethered to a team. The free agent coaching options often have a bad track record or are marred by controversy, even though that did not stop the Anaheim Ducks from hiring Joel Quenneville.
Additionally, hiring anyone is a decision made by multiple people, including the coach in question. Some may not have wanted to come to the city, and others may have turned down an offer. Tocchet may not have been one of many options. He may have been one of the few realistic ones.
Whether The Rocket turns out to be a great hire or not remains to be seen. His coaching has continued to improve with experience, though he has roughly the same amount of postseason experience as the Flyers roster.
What is most important for the Flyers is how he can develop raw talent and help attract free agents. Those are of great importance to the team, and elements that the organization has lacked in recent years. From what the brass thinks, those are strengths of his.
Maybe it is worth giving him a real chance. In Briere we trust.