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I guess Tocch needs to use some of that legendary coaching ability to coach the team up.
That being said, TK signed the extension with a bottom feeder team going nowhere and now despite his millions isn’t happy.
Shocker. Did he actually buy the New Era of Orange bull?
Defensively, as the Flyers approach the trade deadline, I can’t help but wonder if placing Rasmus Ristolainen on the top pair is a bit of feature work to move him by then for an acceptable return. While reports are that it would take “alot” to move him, his continued injuries (he’s only played 17 games this season) likely give other clubs pause.
I’d like to know what an “acceptable return” is for a broken-down defenseman who can’t seem to find the ice for more than a couple weeks thanks to injury. I’d also like to know what team/GM thinks Ristolainen is a piece they need (understanding that Chuck Fletcher is in New Jersey, but only as an advisor). I get there’s a premium on right-handed defensemen, but at this point in time, that’s the only positive you can say about the guy.
I suspect there’s a bunch of folks speculating Ristolainen could be traded simply for clicks as I can’t imagine anyone being this lost in Fantasyland.
You can add Toronto GM Treliving to the Chuck Fletcher level of GMing and he most likely get’s fired this year. His trade for “The Room” Laughton last year was one of the worst deadline deals. Giving up a 1st for the man, the myth, the legend. I would take Greb for Laughton straight up let alone a 1st rnd pick. There’s always a GM who thinks their team is just a little more culture from winning the cup vs talent and on ice production. It was funny seeing him playing Nic Deslaurier’s minutes while contributing nothing on the ice after the trade while Toronto got bounced early. I’m sure he lit up that locker room though.
Culture about to claim another victim.
Hard to believe TK will be 29 shortly, just a year away from leaving his prime. I hope the Flyers are ready to compete for a cup next year.
Nice to see Zegras continue to get a look at center, better late than never i guess. You have to give DB something to base team needs on.
For the love of god, maybe, i don’t know, let Michkov play right wing once in awhile? If it’s acceptable for him to play out of position all the time why isn’t it acceptable for other players to do it so it’s not always him?
Andrae a healthy scratch for Juulsen again.
There isn’t a single Top 6 center on this team, are we sure Danny knows the definition of a rebuild?
I disagree — vehemently — that the team is coached poorly. I do agree that the roster construction needs to be better. This is not high-end enough or deep enough down the middle. The blueline is too small and there’s no PP1 guy at the points. All four centers are role playing types (when Zegras is on wing, but he has some severe limitations as a center that are easier to work around when he’s on wing). Two goalies with significant injury histories.
The Flyers stayed competitive for half a season because of buy-in to structure. When the structure fell apart recently, well, the losses have piled up.
I agree with your statement on the players but disagree on Tocchet. Jett’s usage during his 10 game stint. It certainly seemed for someone DB wanted to get a long look that Tocch never gave him a chance (IMO, Jett never once earned his way onto the team but that’s a different thread). Can you explain Michkov’s usage? He sure as hell isn’t out of shape at this point in the season and he’s playing out of position. Tocch’s treatment of Michkov in the press? Why Zegras, a reclamation project at center (despite his limitations), a position of need, spent all season as a winger before finally getting what seems to be, an extended look at center? Tocchet’s fascination with Hathaway. Michkov getting bloodied last game and nobody doing anything about it for all this talk of team unity? The 4 line trio, while down multiple goals the entire game, on the ice for as much, if not more than Michkov despite the 3 of them combining for only 1 goal in the last 30 games. Hits are great but they count on the score sheet. The determination of playing the big hulking players over skill in early in the season. Zamula, who never should’ve been starting over Andrae is gone, and Andrae (he is a top 6 dman on the team as constructed) still can’t get ice time. Etc.
We can go with Tocchet only making the playoffs 2 times in 10 seasons. His lack of any definable elite coaching traits to hang his proverbial coaching hat on. The mess he left Vancouver in. His questionable handling of Russians Andrei Kuzmenko and Vasily Podkolzin. Also now Michkov. Does he have the ability to bring out the best in young players? Just about everyone has regressed except a few.
The Flyers were competitive early in the season because they weren’t shell-shocked often DESPITE tocchet’s decisions. As mentioned the orgs fascination of big players over talented players should’ve cost them more games early. Vladar, not Tocchet, covered myriad flaws. Vladar had a .939 sv% in October which, if he could’ve kept it up the entire season, would make him the best goalie in the history of the NHL. Dominik Hasek eat your heart out.
Chicken/egg thing here but did anyone think it was the team in front of Vladar who were playing at a Stanley Cup level vs Vladar going on a heater? Vladar’s play in net calmed everyone down, erased mistakes, gave everyone confidence. It wasn’t that the team in front was ever really playing that well but they weren’t playing down by 2 goals the entire game which allowed the team to play with confidence and less pressure. Many people pointed this out at the time and Tocch kept pointing to the scoreboard (often omitting OTL). Also the Flyers won their first 5 SO (1st in the league at the time) which bolstered. It does seem that Tocchet is often playing to get to the shootout from the drop of the puck.
Then Vladar, much like Zegras, started reverting to mean. .905 in december, .880 in january. Once Vladar stopped being super man (and also injuries but who doesn’t have injuries?), the pressure is on the skaters, the confidence is gone, and mistakes are magnified.
In a very real sense, the Flyers are finding out who they are while Tocchet keeps pounding square pegs in round holes for the most part. So many players have regressed. Shouldn’t this have been an evaluation and growth year? Has Tocchet inspired teamwide growth?
So, given all that, would you tell me why you think Tocchet is doing a good job or where i am incorrect?
The club’s defensive structure is collapsing. This is not alarmist, it’s the reality of the situation. They repeatedly allow back-door goals as they overcommit to one side.
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Here’s the thing. This is a poorly constructed team being coached badly. This is not alarmist, it’s the reality of the situation. Statistically, the way they were winning was unsustainable but if you tell people that if the underlying problems aren’t addressed they don’t want to hear it. We are winning! That’s all that matters! You are just being negative! Even Tocchet used his win/loss record (often omitting OT losses) to deflect critcisms and concerns.
The fans didn’t want to hear it, they were gearing up for the playoffs in November. The coach definitely didn’t want to hear it and stuck his fingers in his ears during press conferences and the Front Office still hasn’t heard it so here we are.
A trainwreck that predictably hits the Flyers every January as reliably as the Winter Carnival with fans finally opening their eyes. Attendance is the lowest in 3 years and for all this talk of rebuild the Flyers are no closer to having a 1C, 1D, or 1G with no reasonable path to acquire one.
Consensus pick Buium from 2 years ago was bypassed for a future checking line center (if he hits his ceiling) who plays a 200 ft game. Whether or not Buium hits his ceiling is irrelevant as he was the center piece in Minnesota trading for a young Norris winning defenseman. They were not interested in Jett as the main piece. They were not interested in Jett as a secondary piece. Jett was rated slightly above a throw in, not even a requirement for the trade. That pretty much tells you how the league views the 2 players and how head scratching that pick was at the time and continues to be.
Coaching has been horrible as well. I don’t think anyone can tell fans with any certainty wtf Tocchet is doing with the lines or Michkov. They need to get a long look at Zegras at center to make decisions and the first extended look we get is 52 games in?
The line with Zegras centering Michkov and Brink had numerous rough shifts. They may require patience to find some chemistry. On Thursday, the undersized trio had trouble generating or sustaining pressure. Having Zegras at center means almost guaranteed faceoff losses (1-for-12). It also creates defensive problems because Tocchet expects centers to bear the heaviest burden of covering turf on both sides and through the middle. However, the Flyers are so thin at center, there may be no other choice right now.>
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There’s no comfort in the credited hits disparity (36-15). It meant two things: 1) The Bruins had the puck a lot more than Philly, and 2) the Flyers’ fourth line did their job. Among the Flyers’ hits, Deslauriers had nine in 12:12 of ice time. Hathaway had seven in 12:50. Couturier had five in 13:57. That’s 21 right there.Is it to early to say Anaheim had it right with Zegras, in that he can’t play center at the NHL level? I get the Flyers have to and i’m glad it only took them 50+ games to actually give him a long look at center but this is how evaluation works. He is so godawful at faceoffs and not great on defense. If he can’t improve, which he has shown no signs of improving, then you move on.
I guess my point is they need top end centers, Zegras was traded for to potentially fill a center role and then ended up playing wing for 50 games without ever getting a long look at center. How does that make sense? Honestly Tocchet’s roster decisions have been looney tunes all season and Vladar’s early season dominance allowed Tocchet to evade scrutiny.
How many times when asked about Michkov did he point to the fact they won rather than answer the question?
Also down multiple goals almost the entire game and the 4th line get’s that much time? Between the 3 of them that’s what, 1 goal in the last 30 games? Well at least they were tough to play against, that’ll show the Bruins not to mess with the Flyers.
This is the same reason why they’ll re-sign a completely broken-down Rasmus Ristolainen… who in the system is coming in to replace him? Funny how the entire organization has gone completely silent about Oliver Bonk. I get that he was injured, but not a word about him since his return. As for the rest of the guys in the system, not an NHL defenseman in the bunch.
As for the two centers mentioned… neither is the answer.
It looks a lot like what Edmonton did over the years… drafted the same player over and over (in our case, wingers) and wondered why they never seemed to progress in the standings.
Remember when Jones was touting McDonald as the next great shutdown dman?
For starters, it’s already been well documented how Flyers president Keith Jones referred to McDonald as a “beast” in an appearance on the PHLY Flyers podcast
All the Hunter McDonald hype has been swept under the rug once they actually got to see him play. Jones has been radio silent on McDonald.
Dvorak. He is a 3rd line player getting 1st line minutes and putting up borderline 2nd line points.
Let’s unpack that a second. Over the last 5 games for example he’s been averaging 20 minutes a night and been the defacto #1 center. What that means he didn’t really improve, his situation did. He is seeing more time in the offensive zone with much MUCH better linemates and seeing greatly increased TOI.
DVO 2024 Offensive start % : 9.2%
DVO 2025 Offensive start % : 37%And yet, even with all these advantages in 2025, his goal scoring percentage hasn’t changed. Given the same number of shots as previous years he’s stayed remarkably consistent with last year’s production. If you packed his TOI and SOG from 2024 into a 52 game season, you would have what we have seen so far. Which is remarkable that he’s got the same # of goals on the same # of shots..
Is there any measurable growth in Dvo’s game? No. The Flyers have effectively fooled themselves, yet again. Just being the Flyers center playing the most minutes doesn’t make him an elite talent, it just means you gave him the most minutes.
Also, prime for forwards is 27-29. Which means, surprise, he will be on the downside of his prime at 30 when the extension kicks in and with Konecny hitting the end of his prime next year.
https://medium.com/@mattdesfosses/the-hockey-aging-curve-b0f33b91d1e4
The Flyers wanted a buy-in? Lol. They announced they were done selling before the season even started. I have provided links in other threads and there’s a dozen more to be had from Hilf on down. The whole “players will decide” is bullshit. That’s cover after they committed to push for the playoffs this year. Let alone all the comments from previous years that everyone conveniently forgets or don’t take seriously.
As always, this was never a rebuild, it was a retool ala Hextall and Hextall called it a retool. To rebuild a potential stanley cup roster you need a foundation of foundational players : 1C, 1D, 1G. This is fairly basic knowledge that the Flyers keep telling everyone to not look behind the curtain. Using that as a basis for a rebuild, the Flyers have yet to start. That’s like calling Tocchet the greatest hockey coach of all time. Just saying it doesn’t make it so.
Tocchet is a horrible coach for a rebuilding/retooling team who has a dislike for russian players (just ask Vancouver) with a horrible winning %. I could get more into Tocchet’s shortcomings but if you need me to tell you what your eyes have seen all year, then it’s not worth my time.
Flyers show no pushback after questionable hit on Matvei Michkov
I hope Michkov requests a trade. The team treats him as if he was the proverbial red-headed step child. From ice-time, to where they play him, to what he get’s blamed for in press conferences. It’s just embarrassing.
In Travis Konecny’s hat trick performance, Flyers’ breadth of culture on display
Just because we don’t hear the word “Culture” and “Flyers” used together enough Broadstreethockey wrote an Ode to Flyers culture where Konecny didn’t score a hat trick because of talent. No, his hattrick was due to him being an unstoppable force of culture. The symbol of all things that Flyers hockey stands for. He was willing the team to victory.
I swear to god that Army recruiting ads have less patriotism in them than this article has about lionizing Flyers culture.
Last i checked Garnet Hathaway still couldn’t hit an empty net on a breakaway despite his “culture”.
Do you ever feel that people who write these articles are laughing behind the scenes, trying to see how far they push the Flyers fans?
https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/five-takeaways-rebuild-evolves-to-next-phase
“In the previous two years we would be quick to make changes in order to get better for the future. Now, it would be about staying on course, which is advancing. It’s not about moving back,” Jones said.
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Hilferty added, “I said this to the players the other day, we want to build a culture of sustainable excellence. Not just a shot next year, and it falls off after.”
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“I’m a big believer in Sam Ersson. I think that Sam is in a position now, age-wise, and being pushed by the depth at that position that’s there now, is going to benefit him, as well. I think that Sam is going to stand up to the test here this year,” Jones said.
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“We’re not going to be giving away players to gain future assets, unless something crazy (takes place). But that’s the plan, as we sit here today,” Jones said.Nobody will ever convince me this is a rebuild because the facts don’t support it but yea, selling was never an option this year. They said all along they were done.
They told us months ago that they are all in.
assuming Zegras wants a long-term deal. Left a bad ducks team for an even worse flyers team.
Though his BFF are here so he will sign and get complacent just like the others.
GH with more ice time than MM and ND only less than a minute in ice time compared to MM. Great coaching.
Neither rain, nor snow, nor becoming an extremely embarrassing to the franchise internet meme will keep Flyers coaches from rewarding their big 4th line grinders over skilled players.
It’s so freaking stupid. I know i talk to much about the Eagles but Tocchet is the Flyers Kevin Patullo. It doesn’t matter how much anyone on the outside can see the trainwreck happening in real time, the powers that be will stay the course.
Don’t look now but the feel good story of Oct-Nov, Zegras, is in a major slump. He’s been Anaheim Zegras since the new year.
I still expect DB to give him a 5 year 8mill/yr contract with full NMC.
It’s like they read our posts.
Nothing to sell at the deadline. The cupboard is bare.
Flyers are actively getting worse as the season goes on.
The Flyers start the season in playoff mode while other teams ramp up. Other teams have another gear, the Flyers don’t. They have been redlining since Oct.
Zegras has 2 goals in his last 10 and 5 in his last 20 which is more in line with what he was doing in Anh versus the first month of the season. His shooting precentage was 50% above his career early on and has been falling back to the mean ever since.
The way the Flyers were winning was unsustainable and everyone knew it except for the true believers.
