This has been an interesting two weeks for fans of the Philadelphia Flyers. First, after a six-game losing streak, the team cut ties with head coach John Tortorella.
Brad Shaw became the interim coach, and the Flyers rattled off three straight wins, scoring 15 goals in those three games (after scoring ten goals in those six losses). That included a three-power-play-goal performance after a month of not scoring a single goal on the man advantage. Then, stories emerged about an "incident" between the former head coach and Cam York. What happened? Still not sure, but it appears there is something that occurred.
For the moment, eyes in the Philadelphia sports world are focused elsewhere. The Phillies have gotten off to a hot start. The NFL draft is coming up and many are excited to see what magic Howie Roseman comes up with now. The Sixers....well, we'll forget about that right now.
But for many, the Flyers are an afterthought right now. It makes sense. They have, mercifully, five games left in this disappointing season. However, there are some things worth watching right now. One of those things is Flyers' forward Ryan Poehling.
Ryan Poehling's has caught fire in recent weeks
In the four games since Tortorella has been fired, several Flyers have exploded offensively. Matvei Michkov, for example, had back-to-back two-goal performances in the first two games after Tortorella was let go. That fueled a lot of discussions that perhaps Tortorella was misusing the young star.
Poehling has also shone since the coaching change. In four games, he has scored four goals with an assist. He has 12 goals on the season, but four in the last week. That has set a new career high. Dating back to the trade deadline, Poehling has eight goals in 14 games after scoring four in his first 49 games.
For a team desperate for a good center, especially after losing Scott Laughton and Morgan Frost at the trade deadline, Poehling's rise provides some hope for the future. After all, he is 26 years old and is signed on for next year at a super sweet $1.9 million. If he can continue to perform like this, he could earn himself an extension or be a great trade deadline chip next year.
Is it something that Shaw unlocked in him? Is the offensive output because perhaps Tortorella was holding him back? Sometimes coaches can get too "system-minded". As Eagles fans are aware, we saw this with Chip Kelly, who thought his system was perfect and then quickly jettisoned star players such as DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Nick Foles, and Jeremy Maclin. Without the star players, the system sputtered. Was Tortorella so committed to "his system" that many of the current Flyers failed to reach their potential because of him? Who knows?
If the Flyers continue their recent stretch of winning, Shaw could find himself retained as Flyers coach, especially if the players vouch for him. If the players continue to score as they have been, they may want to speak up for Shaw.
Poehling's output could just be the start. It trickles out. Teams could respond to this new threat, which leaves others open. Maybe after a good offseason, the Flyers could bounce back next year. Poehling could be an integral part of that, being a valuable center alongside Sean Couturier and Noah Cates.