In his final 14 games as the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, John Tortorella did not win a single game outside the shootout. It was the longest stretch without a regulation or overtime victory in franchise history. Since he was let go, the Flyers are 5-1-1.
Interim head coach Brad Shaw has helped the Orange and Black put up the best stretch of their season in its final weeks. Which forwards have benefitted the most?
Matvei Michkov
Since Tortorella was given the boot, rookie Matvei Michkov has looked like a true superstar. His numbers are good, with nine points in seven games, but it’s the process that’s really exciting.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov Making the Best of a Bad Hand
With Tortorella gone, Michkov has been able to play like his true self for the first time all season. Gone are the days of being benched for minor mistakes—he is free to do what he wants, and that has led to personal and team success. Averaging 19:21 of ice time under Shaw, he’s finally getting opportunities to be the engine that drives the Flyers.
Depth contributions have been a huge help in Philadelphia’s recent strong play, but Michkov has been setting up chance after chance. If anything, his nine points are understating how well he has played.
Tyson Foerster
Call it a coincidence, but Tyson Foerster has been on fire post-Tortorella. The 23-year-old has eight goals and nine points following the switch behind the bench, along with a plus-4 rating. He is now tied for the team lead in goals.
Nothing has dramatically changed in either Foerster’s game or his deployment, it seems. Still, he’s on the strongest run of his young NHL career. His 53.3% shooting rate may explain it, but that shouldn’t dismiss his impressive numbers.
The soon-to-be restricted free agent has heated up at the perfect time. Is this a lucky stretch, or indicative of what’s to come?
Ryan Poehling
Throughout his entire career, Ryan Poehling hasn’t come close to scoring nine points across a seven-game stretch. Like with Foerster, it’s hard to find an obvious reason for this sudden emergence, but the change behind the bench is helping him.
Perhaps it has to do with Poehling’s linemates. He’s meshed well with Owen Tippett and Jakob Pelletier, showing success off the rush. Their quick-strike ability has led to each of them stepping up.
Travis Konecny
From the start of the 4 Nations Face-Off until Tortorella’s firing, Travis Konecny had just five points in 5-on-5 action across 16 games. In the seven games Shaw has been the bench boss, Konecny has six points at 5-on-5—a complete turnaround.
The reason for this turnaround is logical. Konecny played his best hockey with Morgan Frost, so when the latter was traded, it led to a difficult stretch of games for Konecny. Tortorella was hesitant to play him with Michkov (maybe to “spread the wealth”), so the 28-year-old’s options for linemates were limited. He played some of the worst hockey of his career.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers’ Frost Trade Unlocking Michkov, Hurting Konecny
To his credit, Tortorella did eventually play Konecny with Michkov. Now a full-time duo, the two have elevated each other’s games. Konecny is confident and playing well again.
Owen Tippett
Though more of a goal-scorer, Tippett’s four primary assists at 5-on-5 since the coaching change are tied for seventh place in the NHL. His 10.4% career shooting efficiency as a Flyer is rather mediocre, so the fact that he’s putting up helpers—five in his last seven games—is a welcomed development.
As mentioned with Poehling, Tippett has been better off the rush. He’s more of a solo rush type of player, but he’s utilizing his teammates more. While usually stapled to the top six, the third line has been where he’s at. That may be for the best in the long term, too. After this season, he’ll have seven years left on his $6.2 million cap-hit contract.
Jakob Pelletier
This one’s a pleasant surprise. Acquired from the Calgary Flames in the Frost and Joel Farabee deal, the 24-year-old Pelletier had an underwhelming start—zero goals and three points in 16 games with Tortorella. With Shaw, he’s got three goals and five points in less than half the number of games.
We can conclude that the way Pelletier was being deployed caused his forgettable performances. He’s useful off the rush and works well with linemates who have a similar skill set, evidently. But he was on the fourth line with grinders like Nicolas Deslauriers and Garnet Hathaway—a contradiction to how he plays the game.
Just keep Pelting them. #NYIvsPHI | #LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/UEouDYYuME
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) April 12, 2025
Shaw, intelligently recognizing the potential for more, switched up the lines. Now, the Flyers might have a good piece. Pelletier doesn’t seem to have star upside, but he can be useful in the bottom six. He’ll be a restricted free agent this summer.
Though Flawed, Tortorella Did His Job
Tortorella had his flaws as the head coach of the Flyers. However, the context of his hiring is important. He was brought in with the team coming off the second-worst season in franchise history and with few notable pieces in the prospect pool. Philadelphia, a big hockey market, couldn’t afford to be an afterthought. For better or worse, Tortorella is one of the most publicized coaches in NHL history. So, he was the man for the job.
As the coach, Tortorella out-won his team’s standings projections twice (2022-23 and 2023-24, per Hockey Reference) and made the Flyers a little more interesting. When the wins stopped this season and his personality became too overbearing, that’s when the firing occurred. His lineup decisions were objectively poor, and the development of younger players left a bit to be desired. But the Flyers were more notable after he left than before he joined. So, that’s still something.
That defense aside, the Flyers have improved without Tortorella behind the bench. Shaw has done a terrific job as the interim, and many forwards have been better off for it.
Stats courtesy of Natural Stat Trick
