John Tortorella is a polarizing coach. The Philadelphia Flyers choosing the journeyman bench boss could be described as an experiment, especially since the Flyers failed to qualify for the NHL playoffs in two consecutive seasons, finishing eighth. of the Metropolitan Division last year, and Tortorella’s recent record is not exemplary.
Tortorella’s methodology has worked in the NHL before, but since 2013-14, Tortorella teams have only gone past the first round of the playoffs once, advancing only to a second-round loss to the Boston Bruins in 2018-19.
In a 2019 article in AthleticismTortorella’s “volatile and confrontational style” has been criticized by former players who claimed he would “berate players in the middle of the dressing room or even on the bench during games, and there were times when confrontations were uncomfortable, walked off the rink angry with him on occasion, and often disagreed with his coaching decisions and/or approach.
During his six seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets, that discomfort culminated in a nasty dispute with star Pierre-Luc Dubois who was later traded to Winnipeg. “Did Luc and I have a conflict?” Damn, we had a conflict,” Tortorella said. “If somebody doesn’t want to be here, that’s a hard thing for me to take, quite honestly. I’ll tell you this, I think athletes (today), he’s a softer athlete. And the bench, I would do it again.”
Flash forward to today, and another conflict appears to be brewing in the Flyers organization involving Tortorella and star players Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes. The coach kept his promise, benching Philadelphia’s two leading scorers for the third period of Sunday’s game as the Flyers trailed the San Jose Sharks 2-0.
Konecny took responsibility off the bench, telling the media, “I wasn’t playing well enough” after being on the ice for San Jose’s two goals.
However, the pre-season and Tortorella’s past promises likely also played a role in the decision. “I don’t convince them,” Tortorella said of the Flyers before the season. “I’m going to tell them what we’re looking for, we’re going to push to that level, and if some guys don’t want to get there, or maybe there’s stubbornness in getting there, we’ll look to someone. ‘one else.”
In the case of Konecny, this could involve trading out of town. This isn’t the first time Konecny has been criticized or benched by a Flyers coach, as he was pulled last season by then-head coach Alain Vigneault, who was fired. mid-season. Konecny then finished the year as Philadelphia’s top scorer with 52 points in 79 games. Throughout the season, however, Konecny was rumored to be a commercial target, and with his relationship with the enigmatic Tororella already seemingly in bad shape, it’s likely that Konecny’s name will resurface in the news. trade negotiations, especially if the Flyers enter a losing streak. The team’s third top scorer, James van Riemsdyk, is another likely trade target this season as the 33-year-old is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this campaign. Add to that the fact that the Flyers don’t have a captain and the team’s veteran core seems to be in turmoil.
Asked about Hayes and Konecny’s bench, Tortorella told reporters he was going to “keep it in the room.” It’s the same play, however, Tortorella claimed he had “major concerns” ahead of the season. Losing the support of its top two scorers could create another rift, similar to what existed in Columbus with Dubois, that only a trade could repair. It will be a situation that general manager Chuck Fletcher, who signed Konecny and Hayes to six- and seven-year contracts respectively, will have to monitor, and at some point he may be forced to decide – he guards the players he signed or his newly hired coach?
If “major concerns” exist in the Philadelphia locker, it will be interesting to see who Tortorella lines up with. Earlier this year, Tortorella touted and defended problematic defenseman Tony DeAngelo, saying, “Tony DeAngelo has personality. Will he talk and do stupid things? You’re damn right, he is. But I’d rather have a guy doing stupid stuff than an altar boy here doing your business. We don’t win like that, we don’t win championships, we don’t build a team without personality. Tony will bring that and, on top of that, he’s a hell of a player.”
This “personality” involved alleged mistreatment of black teammate K’Andre Miller and a physical altercation with goaltender Alexander Georgiev, which led to the New York Rangers terminating DeAngelo’s contract in 2021. DeAngelo has also been repeatedly suspended in the OHL for racism.
Meanwhile, “choirboys” Hayes and Konecny will be looking to bounce back when the Flyers take on the Florida Panthers on Thursday. Philadelphia currently holds a winning record in the opening weeks of the season, but conditions look set for a tumultuous future on the bench and behind it.
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