After going 14 straight games without a win in regulation or overtime, the Philadelphia Flyers decided to pull the plug on John Tortorella. He’s out as head coach. In his place, associate coach Brad Shaw will be the bench boss over the team’s final nine contests.
Shaw has done some great work for the Flyers on the defensive side, so he’s deserving of the interim nod. But he likely won’t be the long-term solution. Instead, the Orange and Black may expand their search to the external world. If that’s the case, who might their eyes be on?
Jay Woodcroft
Let’s start with Jay Woodcroft. For my money, he also seems to be the front-runner. His attendance at training camp last September may have been the start of something much, much bigger.
Woodcroft is an ideal candidate for a lot of reasons. First, he’s done it at the NHL level. Taking over as the Edmonton Oilers’ head coach in the middle of the 2021-22 season, he turned the team around. It’s easy to forget it now, but he was the first one to get them playing truly contending hockey during the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl era.
Before his hiring, Edmonton had a 23-18-3 record and hadn’t won a first-round playoff game since 2017. After he was put in charge, the team went 26-9-3 and advanced to the Western Conference Final.
Overall, Woodcroft had a 79-41-13 record coaching the Oilers, which translates to a points percentage of .643. Though things ended stale and his replacement made it to the Stanley Cup Final last season, it could be argued that Woodcroft was simply going through some bad luck. He was dismissed after 13 games (3-9-1 record) in which his team put up a .864 save percentage and shot at a 7.9% clip.
Woodcroft got the best out of the Oilers, particularly offensively. Upon dismissal, the 48-year-old was defended by his captain. McDavid’s comments, shared by Sportsnet, seem genuine. Draisaitl’s do, too. By all accounts, it appears his time was appreciated.
Tortorella’s tenure in Philadelphia was kind of the opposite. Though there wasn’t much he could do on the record front, the team lost a lot more than they won. There was also the notorious tough-love approach. Multiple players expressed frustration with their benchings, with almost nobody exempt from riding the pine.
A shift in style and culture may be just what the Flyers need. Two springs ago, they branded their rebuild as a “New Era of Orange.” Hiring Woodcroft would qualify.
David Carle
Even if you’re not familiar with David Carle’s work with Denver University, you probably still recognize the name. One of the 35-year-old’s brothers is former Flyer Matt Carle, who was a key member of the team’s run to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Former players aside, Denver’s young head coach has done quite well. Across six seasons since 2018-19, he’s put up an impressive 177-73-17 record, consistently ranking among the best in college. In both 2022 and 2024, he took home the National Championship.
What’s more, Carle coached Team USA to back-to-back titles in the World Junior Championship in 2024 and 2025. To put it simply, he’s a winner.
Now, it takes two to tango. With his overwhelming success, Carle doesn’t have to move up to the NHL—he’s already in a good spot. There’s a world where Carle is sold on the idea of coaching Matvei Michkov. There’s also a world where he doesn’t want to leave such a great situation.
With the upside to be the next big thing in the NHL, Carle is one of the best possible candidates for the Orange and Black. The Flyers once hired a college coach by the name of Dave Hakstol, which didn’t work out too well, but this one seems different.
Marc Savard
Perhaps an under-the-radar candidate is Marc Savard of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The assistant coach’s new-age approach to the game may fit what the Flyers are trying to do with their young roster.
“Savard’s philosophy is to trust his higher-skilled, offensive-minded players to be creative and free while in attack. He wants players consistently moving in order to find open spaces and constantly anticipating where their teammates will be. On breakouts, speed is the name of the game, whether that’s in transition as they rush the blue line or race to the corners off a quick, short dump-in.”
source – ‘Inside the mind of Marc Savard, who brings his coaching creativity to Calgary,’ – Julian McKenzie – The Athletic – 10/08/2023
The Flyers are a more talented team than they seemed to be under Tortorella. To play his scheme, the offensive upside of players had to be suppressed. It worked to get solid underlying results over his tenure, but the magic ran out. So, this is a pivot.
Savard hasn’t gotten his chance to shine as a head coach, which is why he might not be a legitimate candidate here. But he’s worth considering, at the very least. Only being 47 years old works in his favor.
Rick Tocchet
Though he’s currently employed as a bench boss for an NHL team, there’s a chance he’s not in a month or so. Rick Tocchet did tremendous work for the Vancouver Canucks last season, overseeing their growth into a legitimate contender. They fell to the Oilers in a second-round Game 7.
But that’s all changed. The Canucks are simply battling to make the playoffs at all this time around, and they sit three points out as it stands. That, coupled with the drama that’s engulfed the team, means Tocchet’s seat is a bit hot. In potential need of a culture change, he may be the sacrificial lamb.
Tocchet has organizational ties to the Flyers, serving 621 games under the team as a player and recording 508 points. Coupling that with his experience as a coach, Philadelphia could be interested.
Related: How Rick Tocchet’s Playing Days Shape His Coaching Style
But replacing a hard-nosed coach with another hard-nosed coach seems like a contradiction. Seeing as the Flyers are trying to build a strong culture, regardless of whether the drama in B.C. is his fault, it’s a risk to bring that over. Still, it’s a possibility.
Mike Sullivan
Mike Sullivan is another head coach who is actively serving. Though he won back-to-back Stanley Cups less than a decade ago with the Pittsburgh Penguins, those happy times are fading. The team is almost certain to miss the postseason for the third season in a row—it may be time to make a change. Though perhaps not Sullivan’s fault, there’s not much to be gained from letting this marriage continue.
The Flyers, who have not won a Stanley Cup since 1975, can appreciate someone with a decorated resume. Though he had Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and other stars on his roster, he took over in a bad spot. When he was hired mid-season in 2015-16, the Penguins hadn’t won a game beyond the second round since 2009, and were coming off a pretty underwhelming campaign.
Then, he went 33-16-5 to close out the regular season and won 16 in the postseason to win the Stanley Cup. Doing the same in his sophomore stint, Sullivan changed the dynamic in Pittsburgh. His offensive-minded style would be appreciated in Philadelphia.
However, there’s a catch. Considering his longtime ties to Tortorella, Sullivan may not be on the Flyers’ radar, and vice versa. Don’t expect it, but don’t eliminate the possibility, either.
Who should replace Tortorella as the next head coach of the Flyers? Should they stick with Shaw for another season?
