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Quick Hits: Tortorella Reportedly Offered HC Job, Yeo, TIFH |
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Quick Hits: June 15, 2022
1) Multiple outlets have reported that the Flyers have formally offered the head coach position to veteran bench boss John Tortorella. The story was first broken by Kevin Weekes on Twitter and then confirmed elsewhere. The Flyers will not comment on the reports because there is not a finalized deal in place. It would appear, however, that the Flyers are out of the running for Barry Trotz and are now trying to finalize a contract with Tortorella. "Torts" will turn 64 on June 24.
It remains to be seen whether Tortorella is the right man for the job in Philadelphia. There is certainly room for healthy skepticism given how short-lived the team's improvement under Alain Vigneault proved to be.
However, it's hard to argue that Tortorella has had anything but a successful overall NHL coaching career. The second-winningest American-born coach in NHL history (trailing only Peter Laviolette), the hard-pushing Tortorella is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner and owns a Stanley Cup ring for coaching the 2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning to the championship.
Tortorella's lifetime coaching record is quite similar to those of two former Flyers head coaches: "Iron" Mike Keenan and the late Pat Quinn. Quinn, a Hockey Hall of Famer, never won the Stanley Cup as a head coach, while Tortorella and Keenan (1993-94 New York Rangers) won it once apiece.
Quinn: 1,400 GC, 684 CW, .556 PTS%
Keenan: 1,386 GC, 672 CW, .551 PTS%
Tortorella: 1,383 GC, 673 CW, .548 PTS%
Ultimately, the Flyers' 2022 offseason will be determined not only by the coaching hire and whether Tortorella can instill discipline and accountability but also by the roster adjustments that Chuck Fletcher makes. There are still major question marks on the roster, and the still-unclear outlook for defenseman Ryan Ellis in 2022-23 (and viable alternatives if he's unavailable) still looms large with the team having limited cap space.
2) Elliotte Friedman reported that outgoing Flyers interim head coach may be on the move to the Vancouver Canucks to become an assistant coach under Bruce Boudreau. Yeo was in a very difficult and thankless role as the Flyers interim head coach, given the decimated roster and rampant inherited problems on both sides of the puck. It was a constant uphill struggle. The team actually did make modest progress in its 5-on-5 processes but both sides of special teams were at or near the bottom of the NHL and the team lacked finishing ability.
Yeo is a strong communicator, an enthusiastic and energetic man and a hard worker. He should work well on Boudreau's staff, assuming the rumored hiring comes to fruition.
3) June 15 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Dean McAmmond (1973), Sandy McCarthy (1972), Zac Rinaldo (1990), Petr Straka (1992).
4) Today in Flyers History: June 15, 1994
The Flyers send a 1994 second-round draft pick (Ryan Johnson) to the Florida Panthers as compensation for hiring away Panthers general manager Bob Clarke to return to Philadelphia for his second stint as Flyers' GM.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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