So, the Flyers have a head coach now. For several days, it started to become increasing clear that Rick Tocchet would be returning to Philly. Now we know it to be true.
To be sure, this one can be kind of hard for us fans to figure out. Yes, he is one of the most popular players to have ever donned the orange and black. He was a hard-nosed, gritty sort of player who could score, hit, fight, and do a lot of the fundamental type stuff. A guy like that, who can turn these current crops of Flyers around, could be useful.
At the same time, he seems to be building a reputation as a hard-nosed, no-nonsense kind of coach. You know, the kind that we keep seeming to get. The different between him and the last two coaches of this variety is that he hasn't had a winning pedigree behind him yet to fall back on.
Nope. Instead, he's been the head coach of two craptacular franchises: the Phoenix Coyotes and the Vancouver Canucks. In all fairness, the Coyotes have been a disaster ever since they moved to the desert. They could keep top talent, made poor draft decisions, alienated a fan base, and then moved to Utah.
The Canucks are one of those teams that have good players now and then, but can never quite keep it together. They are the Western Conference version of the New York Islanders. Tocchet was also the coach of the post-Tortorella Tampa Bay Lightning, inheriting a team that had just drafted Steven Stamkos first overall. They would draft Victor Hedman with the second pick the following season.
In his nine total years of head coaching experience, he has made the playoffs twice and has had four seasons with a winning record. Again, a coach can only use what players he's been given. I coulda looked like a genius if I was behind the bench of the '80s Oilers or the late 90s-early 00s Red Wings. Tocchet managed teams that the team management failed miserably with. So, how much of the failure of those teams is Tocchet's fault or the team's? Hard to say.
With that in mind, let's give the new coach the benefit of the doubt. Let's examine the best-case and worst-case scenarios in a realistic sense of Tocchet's soon-to-be tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.
Best Case Scenario
Tocchet trains these guys to play as he played. Fundamentally, they are sound. They deliver proper forechecks, battle in the corners, deliver on the power play and penalty kill, win faceoffs, and limit the turnovers as much as humanly possible. He gets the vets to help mentor the young guys. Armed with a savvy group of vets and a slowly growing corps of young talent, the Flyers return to the playoffs and fall flat.
However, new success and a rising salary cap, combined with aging stars on divisional rivals, start something strong in Philly. The Flyers become attractive, once again, to free agents. This group continues to shine and mature and will become a dominant team in the Eastern Conference, like they were from 1995 to 2010. I'm not going to promise that they will win the Stanley Cup, but they could become part of the conversation.
Based on playing styles, I would say that the best-case scenario is that he becomes the Flyers' version of Rod Brind'Amour and they become a team similar to the Hurricanes. Carolina doesn't have any superstars, but they really have no glaring weaknesses. Defensively, they are sound, and any line they have can score. This is probably the ideal scenario.
Worst Case Scenario
The Flyers show signs of improvement, giving everyone hope. Either they make the playoffs or just miss out, again. Then it all unravels. Maybe you can blame it on injuries or poor prospect selections. But year two doesn't quite go the way we want it to be. That's ok, because there is year three.
Maybe in year three, they get better. Maybe they make the playoffs. Things look ok. However, in year four, it falls apart, they fire the coach, and start the process all over again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Grab yet another recycled coach in 2029 off the heap, dust him off, and try again.
Flyers fans have seen this movie before, and we are tired of it. In this case, Tocchet becomes the finale of a trilogy we didn't want. From Alain Vigenault to John Tortorella to Tocchet. A trio of coaches who have the knowledge and capacity to lead, but for some reason couldn't do it here. The saddest part is that we can see the potential that is there, so we end up suffering because of it.
Like everyone, I am hoping for the best, but I don't want to let my heart get hurt again. Let's take a breathe and see how free agency and the draft go before we get too ahead of ourselves. Let's see where this new destination takes us. Could be hockey's promised land or it could be the path to nowheresville. Time will tell.