NHL insider claims HC Rick Tocchet ‘would hate’ being linked to Flyers amidst Canucks’ playoff chase

On Thursday morning, the Philadelphia Flyers fired veteran head coach John Tortorella and replaced him with assistant coach Brad Shaw as the interim for the rest of the 2024-25 season.

Tortorella's departure came after an embarrassing 7–2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Tuesday night. It marked the Flyers' sixth straight defeat amid their free-fall down the standings. The veteran bench boss made eye-opening comments postgame, further sparking general manager Danny Briere's decision to make a change.

It's been only two days since the coaching change was made official, however, that hasn't stopped fans and hockey insiders from connecting Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet to the job in Philadelphia. The former NHLer was drafted by the Flyers in 1983 and spent 11 seasons with the team, enjoying plenty of success. Tocchet is in the final season of his current contract behind the bench in Vancouver.

Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman addressed the rumors and speculation linking Tocchet to the Philadelphia Flyers in the latest episode of "32 Thoughts: The Podcast."

"There's a lot of people in Vancouver, and there were a lot of noise on social about Rick Tocchet," Friedman said. "And the way I look at the Rick Tocchet situation is this, first of all, I think this has gotta make him insane. He can't control what we talk about. He can't control what happens on social media, sports radio, like everywhere, the talking heads. There's nothing he can do."

However, what I know is that he would hate the idea that anyone thinks he's got one foot in Philadelphia while he's trying to coach the Vancouver Canucks to a playoff berth. This Canuck team, they are grinding and scratching and fighting their way, you know, all the injuries, all the distractions, you look at the way they played this week. And it would really bother Tocchet to have his name thrown around in this, whether or not it happens at the end of the year, the way Tocchet thinks is that's the end of the year. That's not now, now, is for trying to get Vancouver in, you know. I think this, if it doesn't work out with Vancouver, yes, he rockets to the top of the contenders for that job. But if I know Tocchet a bit, and I know him a bit, it's gonna make him crazy that people are linking him with Philadelphia now." (18:56)

Tocchet's coaching resume and history with the Philadelphia Flyers make it easy to connect the dots and see why both parties would be interested in the fit.

For now, he's making a playoff push with the Vancouver Canucks (80 points), who sit five points behind the St. Louis Blues (85 points) for the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference.

The Philadelphia Flyers snapped their losing streak in the first game under Bryan Shaw

In Game 1, the Philadelphia Flyers looked like a new team without John Tortorella. You wouldn't have been able to tell the Flyers lost six consecutive games and 11 of their last 12 overall (1-10-1).

Philadelphia beat the Montreal Canadiens 6–4, scoring more than four goals for the first time in a game since Feb. 25's 6–1 win over Pittsburgh. The Flyers' skill players played free, and it showed on the scoresheet for Matvei Michkov (two goals, one assist) and Sean Couturier (two goals, one assist), who each had three-point nights.

Michkov played 20:29 minutes of ice time, a huge increase from his season average of just over 16.0 minutes a night. John Tortorella had his issues and run-ins with Michkov throughout the year for defensive mistakes, though it appears Brad Shaw is willing to let him play through them.

The Flyers will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they host the Buffalo Sabres. The puck drops at 1 p.m. EST at the Wells Fargo Center.