The Philadelphia Flyers won’t lace up the skates again until Feb. 6 when the New York Islanders travel to the Wells Fargo Center. They’ll rest and watch Kevin Hayes compete in the NHL All-Star Game in Sunrise, FL over the weekend. Meanwhile, trade rumors surrounding James van Riemsdyk and Tony DeAngelo have pickup while head coach John Tortorella continues his search for answers within a broken organization.
Tortorella Checks in at All-Star Break
The Flyers sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division with a 21-21-9 record. Winning only 21 of 51 games can get a team to a .500 point percentage in the NHL. Philadelphia is still considerably below the league median. They own a better point percentage than just two Eastern Conference teams, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are six games ahead of them for the final playoff spot with two extra games left to play.
Despite the longshot playoff odds, the Flyers have taken legitimate steps forward in 2022-23. Tortorella spoke on 97.5 The Fanatic on Feb. 1 about the team’s progress.
“I think we’ve handled some adversity… (We’ve) found some footing. I think we’ve slowly been consistent in the style of play that I think we want to develop here,” the two-time Jack Adams Award winner said. “Have we gotten where we want to be? No. Do we need to change some players out? Yes. Do we need to add some youth? Yes. Do we need to get rid of veterans? Yes.”
The small steps of progress aren’t changing Tortorella’s long-term vision. He is the only prominent member of the organization who has openly used the word “rebuild” to describe the current situation for the Flyers.
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“I don’t think our organization should miss any steps in going through the process of becoming a competitive hockey team in this league. When I say competitive, (I mean) a team that’s fighting for playoffs each and every year. We are not there right now. I do think we’ve improved…It will not change at least my thinking as far as the process we have to go through to become that legitimate team. It’s not a short-term thing here,” he said.
Tortorella doesn’t mince words, and he is evaluating his team realistically. His contentious lineup decisions and fiery behavior became the story of the first half of the season in Philadelphia. Expect the former Stanley Cup winner to continue his bold approach to…
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