Game Two of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final has the Florida Panthers in need of adjustments. Coming off a double overtime win, the Abbotsford Canucks lead the Texas Stars, three games to one, in the AHL’s Western Conference Final. The Canucks can wrap up the series on Friday. The series winner meets the Charlotte Checkers (Florida Panthers’ farm club) in the Calder Cup Final. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Flyers have hired two assistant coaches, with at least one more to come.
Here are your Flyers’ Quick Hits for June 6, 2025.
Varady hired as assistant coach on Tocchet’s staff
On Wednesday, Rick Dahliwal reported that Vancouver Canucks assistant coach Jaroslav “Yogi” Svejkovsky accepted an offer to join former Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet in Philadelphia. The Flyers made it official on Thursday. Additionally, the Flyers announced that now-former Detroit Red Wings assistant coach Jay Varady was also coming to Philly to serve on Tocchet’s staff.
Varady, 47, has extensive coaching experience at various levels of the sport. He’s been a head coach in junior hockey and the American Hockey League, as well as working overseas. He spent the last three seasons in Detroit, working under Derek Lalonde and Todd McLellan.
Tocchet worked previously with Varady. During Tocchet’s tenure as the Arizona Coyotes’ head coach, Varady coached Arizona’s top farm club, the Tucson Roadrunners. A forward during his playing days at Union College, injuries prematurely curtailed Varady’s playing career. He began coaching while still attending Union. Varady is known as a cerebral and analytical type of coach.
Reached by text, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere indicated that it will be Tocchet’s call as to his assistant coaches’ specific duties. Most likely. Svejkovsky will coach the forwards and the power play (the role previously done by Rocky Thompson). Varady will take over all-encompassing support duties (the Darryl Williams role, more or less). Briere indicated that he plans to hire at least one more assistant coach, but said the hiring is not imminent. The next hire, most likely, will focus on the defense and the penalty kill (Brad Shaw’s old primary role, although Shaw was former head coach John Tortorella’s associate in many different day-to-day areas).
Somewhat like Tortorella, Tocchet likes to have a robust coaching staff that goes beyond everyone just “staying in their lane”. As such, Varady’s work will probably touch up on many of the same areas Shaw/Williams worked with beyond their primary duties. Tortorella often delegated preseason bench coaching chores to his assistants (in rotating order) and had assistants run an above-average percentage of on-ice practices over the course of the season. Like him or not, Tortorella was very much a believer in empowering his staff to work in a wide array of coaching aspects.
I am not sure how much of a delegator Tocchet is compared to Tortorella when in comes to bench coaching. practices, media availability and hand-selecting the teaching video to use with players. I watched Tocchet closely as a player but am much less familiar with his day-to-day preferences. I will make a mental note to ask about it before camp.
The Flyers are undecided about whether to add just one more assistant coach or two. The defense/PK role is a given. It’s not clear if Angelo Ricci’s specialty as skills coach will be absorbed across the staff as a whole or if there will be a dedicated replacement. Kim Dillabaugh remains on staff as goaltending coach.
Combine: Desnoyers played through wrist injuries
An interesting piece of news arose from the 2025 Scouting Combine in Buffalo. Caleb Desnoyers, an expected top-five to top-10 pick, played through injuries to both of his wrists during the 2024-25 season. The Moncton Wildcats center seemed hampered during the Memorial Cup tournament. However, it was otherwise undetectable.
Desnoyers, the older brother of Flyers wing/center pospect Elliot Desnoyers, is the bigger and more naturally gifted of the two. (Side note: After a very promising rookie season with the Phantoms and Flyers in 2022-23, Elliot’s play dipped dramatically the past two seasons). This past season, Caleb had 84 points (35g, 49a) in 56 regular season Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League games. He added 30 points (9g, 21a) in 19 playoff games en route to the QMJHL championship and the Memorial Cup.
The Flyers have kept a close eye on the younger Desnoyers brother for several years. He’s a fairly complete player for a teenager, and is someone I have no doubt is among the players the organization would be comfortable selecting if he’s available with the sixth overall pick. Now-former Phantoms coach Ian Laperriere (recently assigned to a Hockey Ops advisory role with the Flyers) is especially close with the Desnoyers family. Lappy and David Desnoyers, Elliot and Caleb’s father, go back to youth hockey in Montreal together.’
Due to the wrist issues, Caleb Desnoyers withdrew from the physical testing portion of the Scouting Combine. He apparently needs procedures to correct the issues. However, he is not expected to miss time next season. The fact that Desnoyers played as well as he did with injuries on both wrists is a testament to his will as well as his skill.
Flyers Alumni Charity Classic Weekend: Pickleball Tournament
On June 21, 2025, the Flyers Alumni Charity Classic weekend kicks off with a pickleball tournament at Bounce Pickleball in Malvern, PA. There are sessions geared toward novice, intermediate and advanced players with both morning and afternoon sessions.
The $200 registration fee includes an autographed puck from the participating Flyers Alumni, a Flyers Alumni sweatband set and an event t-shirt. Participating Alumni: Paul Holmgren, Mike Knuble, Ron Sutter, Al Secord, Brad Marsh, Terry Carkner, Scott Daniels, Neil Little, Linsday Carson, Jesse Boulerice, and John Paddock.
One hundred percent of all three Charity Classic events — pickleball on the 21st, the Walk/Run/Ride in Conshohocken on the 22nd, and the Alumni Golf tournament in Wilmington on the 23rd — go to support the Alumni’s charity and community programs in the Delaware Valley. Different Flyers Alumni will participate on each day, although some Alumni will take part in two or all three events.
Bill, your guess
does the #6 play for the Flyers this season, same for Jett?
No, I don’t think the 6th pick will play in the NHL this season. I think Jett will make the team again if he had a good camp.
I’d feel better if our two late 1st round picks were in the middle of the round. Wonder if we could package one of them and a 2nd for a mid 1st round.
We have to go Center at #6. I can’t see a scenario where we select anything else. I doubt Martone drops to 6.
This is off topic, Bill.
Would it be appropriate for the Flyer Alumni website to have a page indicating public and private signings of alumni? Or, at least, those being done to raise money for the alumni charity projects.
If not, would it be possible to do that here?
On topic
While every individual case is unique, when you have a 17/18 year old with a medical issue – in this case, Desnoyers’ wrist issues which require a procedure – how much do you drop him in your rankings compared to somewhat similarly productive players? The Flyers cannot afford to have this pick wash out. Perhaps these are two separate injuries that are typically repaired by a routine procedure. But, what if they’re not, like Patrick’s migraines?
Of course, what they really need is a late first or second round home run like Giroux or Robertson (better yet, Lidstrom at 53).
It’s certainly appropriate. Let’s get through the five fundraising events between June and end of August — pickleball, 5k, golf, Ireland trip and Fantasy Camp — and then revisit it. It’s a good idea.