The Philadelphia Flyers Have Fired John Tortorella, And Now Matvei Michkov Can Finally Be Let Off His Leash
Eliot J. Schechter. Getty Images.It was only a matter of time before the John Tortorella era in Philadelphia came to an end. I find it incredibly hard to believe that Torts was ever hired here with the intention of him being a long-term solution. The Flyers hired Torts when they needed him the most--the team sucked, the franchise had lost its identity, and they needed someone to whip them into shape. The idea was for John Tortorella to come in here and establish a culture to be the foundation of this rebuild. Once that culture was established, the Flyers could move on to someone a little more….forward thinking.
However, I don't think the plan was always to fire John Tortorella in the middle of a season. You'd figure the organization would know where they're at in the standings, and at least give him until the end of the season before moving on. But when you have your head coach basically come out and say he doesn't give a shit anymore…well that forced the Flyers' hand.
He literally said he has no interest in coaching this team anymore. The Flyers had to let him go after that.
But again, I has to assume this was a decision the Flyers were 20 games away from making anyway. Once Matvei Michkov came over from Russia, that immediately changed the timeline for the Flyers. They didn't have time to waste around anymore. They need to start acquiring young, elite talent. And they need someone in the building who can develop that talent into an offensive wagon. Matvei Michkov should never be healthy scratched again. He should never be benched again for his defensive play. The Flyers need to bring someone in here who can take his unbelievable talents and mold them into a dynamic NHL game breaking weapon.
Ownership knows that the only reason they're selling tickets right now is because fans want to watch Matvei Michkov put the puck in the back of the net. Danny Briere is an offensive thinking general manager. Keith Jones knows how special this kid is and how rare it is for a franchise to have a player in their locker room who could realistically be the best player in the league at some point in his career. So I'm sure this next coaching hire will be based 95% around who can develop Matvei Michkov the best, and that's going to put the Flyers in an incredible spot moving forward. And if that coach just so happens to go through some growing pains next year, and the Flyers have to tank one more season to get Gavin McKenna in 2027? Then so be it.
P.S. -- I think Torts did a good job during his time here in Philly. I think he did exactly what was asked and expected of him to do. The only thing he sucked at was leaving Rocky Thompson in charge of the power play for so long. Hope he's the next out the door.