Cam York bluntly accepts stepping up to leadership position after John Tortorella's firing by Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Cam York geared up but did not play a single second during Thursday night's 6-4 win over Montreal due to disciplinary reasons. According to The Athletic's Kevin Kurz and Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli, a heated verbal altercation between York and former head coach John Tortorella led to the discipline.

Philadelphia was short on players; therefore, due to NHL rules, they couldn't scratch York, and he had to sit on the bench in full gear watching the game.

Cam York spoke to the media about the incident after a practice session on Friday. He was asked whether he feels he can be a guy that steps up as a leader in the locker room following the dismissal of John Tortorella. The Flyers posted his response on X:

"Yeah, definitely. I've been here pretty good amount of time, so I feel like I'm well respected in the room," York said. "And, you know, guys listen to what I say, and that's important. And just because I'm a younger guy doesn't mean you know, you can't have a voice. So yeah, that's it's important. But everybody in this room is a leader and leads in different ways, and that's what makes it a special room." [3:10]

Cam York, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in July 2025, is in the final season of a two-year, $3,200,000 contract signed in 2023.

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Cam York will look to break out under new coaching

Cam York has yet to truly flourish into the dynamic offensive defenseman that led him to be the 14th overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft.

The 24-year-old has just 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in his third full NHL season. This comes after a career-best 30 points (10 goals, 20 assists) in 82 games during the 2023-24 campaign.

At 29-36-9 (67 points), the Flyers are all but eliminated from the playoffs. They'll need a young talent like York to help Philadelphia get through this difficult stage in their rebuild.

York will return to the Flyers' lineup on Saturday when they host the Buffalo Sabres at Wells Fargo Center. The puck drop will take place at 1 p.m. EST.