Insider names Original 6 side and two other NHL teams as most logical fits for John Tortorella

The Philadelphia Flyers fired coach John Tortorella on Thursday after the team was close to getting eliminated for another season. The Flyers have nine games left this season, and they are sitting last in the Metropolitan Division with a 28-36-9 record.

Tortorella is known for his tough approach to coaching players. Many might not consider it good, but he has won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004. He also had coaching stints with the Rangers, Canucks and Blue Jackets. The Flyers hired him to help their young team improve, but they have missed the playoffs again.

NHL insider Dan Kingerski shared a post on X mentioning the potential teams where Tortorella could coach next. He suggested the New York Rangers as a good fit. Tortorella coached the Rangers from 2009 to 2013, leading them to the 2012 Eastern Conference Finals.

"There’s no question that Torts squeezed the maximum amount out of his Flyers teams. The funny thing is, the best spot for him next would be… The Rangers," Kingerski wrote in his post.

Kingerski also mentioned the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken as possible destinations.

"I could see Nashville or Seattle as possibilities. I wonder if he still owns the farm in Washington?" Kingerski further wrote.

The Flyers have named Brad Shaw as interim coach for the rest of the season.

Flyers GM Danny Briere's statement on John Tortorella

John Tortorella was hired by the Philadelphia Flyers to bring structure to the team, but another disappointment reached the boiling point for the management. General manager Danny Briere, in his statement following Torts' firing, said, via NHL.com:

“John played a vital role in our rebuild. He set a standard of play and re-established what it means to be a Philadelphia Flyer. John's passion on the bench was only equaled by his charitable work in our community.

"As we move into the next chapter of this rebuild, I felt this was the best for our team to move forward. I'd like to thank John for his tireless work and commitment to the Flyers.”

The Flyers have lost 11 of their last 12 games, and they have won only six of their last 25. The team had mild playoff hopes entering the season, but they have struggled after the initial hype surrounding rookie Matvei Michkov.

John Tortorella faced criticism for occasionally benching Michkov, who has scored 10 goals and 51 points this season.

John Tortorella was the seventh Flyers coach in 10 years. The team will face the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday with their interim coach guiding it.