How Long of a Leash Does John Torotrella Have?

It seems forever ago, but at one time, the Flyers were consistently and routinely one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. They were usually considered to be one of the leading contenders to represent the East in the Stanley Cup Finals year in and year out. Despite having a stockpile of some of the greatest players in team history (Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, and Wayne Simmonds to name a few), the Flyers could never get over the hump into greatness.

During the Check Fletcher era of general management, the team became something of a joke or an afterthought. Playoffs? Ain't happening. Being competitive? Nope. Even the draft picks that this team has made over the last 10 years have been a mixed bag when you consider the first three rounds.

When the Flyers fired Alain Vigneault at the end of the 2021-22 season, they hired John Tortorella to lead this team into the future that it so richly deserves. For a team that had finally admitted that it was in a rebuild, they had hoped that Tortorella would be the man to repair this franchise. So far, the results have been moderately good.

After a first season where most of the projected star players were injured, Tortorella followed that up with a team that almost made the playoffs. They furiously held onto third place for most of the season. An epic collapse followed when most of the blueliners got hurt, Sam Ersson got burned out shouldering too much of the load at the end, and most of the young players couldn't play clutch hockey. Even with the few little moves the Flyers have made this year, a lot of "hockey experts" feel that this team is going to, again, be one of the worst teams in the league. Keep in mind that these same experts said this last year too.

As we look into year three of the Tortorella Era, we have to ask, "How long will he be here?" Is he setting up this team for the next coach to succeed or will he be the one to take the Flyers back to the promised land? As of right now, he appears to have the confidence of GM Daniel Briere and team president Keith Jones. Let's take a look at his positives and negatives as head coach.

The Good

As head coach of the Flyers, Tortorella won his 700th career game. He currently sits at ninth all-time with 742 wins. With forty wins, he can tie Al Arbour for eighth place. Last year, the Flyers won 33 games. It's not out of the question. He is also second all-time behind former Flyers coach Peter Laviolette for most wins by an American-born coach.

The reason this is important is that he is one of the best hockey minds in history. One of the reasons that the Flyers almost made the playoffs is because of that mind. He has always preached fundamentals first. This team has gotten better defensively, improved a lot on the transition, cut back on mistakes and goals, and seems to have gotten some swagger back. He is one of the reasons that Travis Konecny finally became a star player for this team.

You can't help getting injured. For most of these past two seasons, the Flyers have done well enough managing them. It's when you get three-four-five-six starters out that the house of cards starts to collapse. Still. the team has allowed young players to play. Those opportunities will help this team going forward.

One of the things that doesn't get nearly enough credit is how he stands up for his guys. Yes, he calls out players when they don't perform to his standards. However, when the press gets on them, he will go to bat for them and defend their play and work ethic.

The Not-So-Good

It's well known that his temperament doesn't give with his players all time. In his first season, he clashed with Kevin Hayes and Tony DeAngelo over playing styles and time played. This past season, Morgan Frost and Sean Couturier faced similar issues. Even Cam Atkinson, once his biggest supporter on the team, found himself benched and losing minutes on the ice.

A lot of times, coaches can simply lose the locker room. Despite having much of the same talent as this team has, Joe Girardi couldn't get the Phillies moving. Two years after winning the Super Bowl, Doug Pederson lost his job after losing control of the locker room. Could Tortorella be in a similar spot? Is one of the reasons the Flyers fell apart this spring because the players just tuned him out?

Yes, Tortorella had issues with some players. Hayes and DeAngelo, interestingly enough, had both been released by their 2023-24 teams. Maybe he knew something after all. Even then, he continues to defend Hayes as a player.

If this team can get off to a hot start like it did last year, I think his job is safe. The X-factor will be how well Matvei Michkov can translate his skills over to the NHL. Under Tortorella's tutelage, he could learn a lot from an NHL master and become the breakout star we all hope he can be.

However, if his antics overshadow what he does behind the bench and he begins to lose the team, he could be replaced mid-season. I think he will last the whole year, but if the team ends up in a spiraling losing streak of 10+ again with no way out and it isn't due to injuries, there could be a change.

If the Flyers can be in contention for most of the season, just as they were this year, he will be around for a while longer. Despite what some experts feel, I don't think he is on as short of a leash as they may think. He may be demanding, but I'd rather have a coach who demands the best from his players than allow them to be mediocre.