A crucial offseason looms as the Philadelphia Flyers restructure their organization with changes at all levels. Head coach John Tortorella won’t be going anywhere after his first season in Philadelphia, and his input in player personnel during the 2023 offseason will be as influential as any other coach in the NHL.
“For me, the next step with this organization is: You don’t start adding players until you subtract them. I think there needs to be some subtraction. Those (topics) will be in discussions at the end of the year.”
-John Tortorella
Which players will be on the move? Interim general manager (GM) Danny Brière has openly talked about a long-term rebuild, and it’s become increasingly clear over the course of the 2022-23 season that 30-year-old Kevin Hayes is no longer a good fit with the Flyers.
Hayes, Tortorella At Odds
When the Flyers hired Tortorella in June 2022, the focus of the organization immediately shifted to the establishment of a new standard for performance on and off the ice for a team that had fallen drastically short of expectations in recent history. A newly-hired head coach with 20 years of experience behind NHL benches met virtually with the Philadelphia media for the first time and announced loud and clear that he was specifically looking forward to coaching Hayes.
“Kevin is one I’m anxious to work (with) because I think there’s more there. I think he’s a huge piece of the puzzle up the middle of the ice for this organization. He’s one I’m going to try to talk with right away…I’m going to be interested in what he has to say. I hear he’s a tremendous guy. I want to try to help him, because if I can help him and make him understand we’re going to try to get him to another level (with) what does he do for the Flyers organization up the middle of the ice. I’ve watched from afar, and there’s more there. It’s my responsibility to try and get that out of him,” he said.
Explore everything hockey with THW’s Hockeypedia pages.
The relationship hasn’t gone smoothly by any means this season, even after Hayes stormed out of the gates offensively on pace to shatter his career high in scoring halfway through the season. Tortorella has publicly challenged him to play better defensively, pushed him to the wing after a long NHL track record as a center, benched him midgame in multiple instances, and sat him as a healthy scratch.
Latest News &…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Hockey Writers…