Philadelphia Flyers

John Tortorella will be back behind an NHL bench next season, as the veteran coach has reportedly agreed to a four-year, $16 million deal with the Philadelphia Flyers.

There are a lot of reasons to like this hiring. However, it's also rational to think this could end in disaster for the polarizing hockey figure.

Let's start on a positive note.

Tortorella's hard-nosed, blue-collar style might endear him to the blue-collar fanbase in Philadelphia. The Northeast is a tough place to play and coach, and no one knows that better than Tortorella, a Boston native who helmed the New York Rangers for five seasons. Fans can be overly critical, and they'll surely voice their displeasure loudly at the rink and on social media. Torts' fire and intensity are going to play well in a market that is used to dishing it out.

The media can also be skeptical, critical and downright harsh. The spotlight can sometimes shine so hard it burns. Tortorella has been known to spar with reporters, which might make for some entertaining clips, but it also serves another purpose. He puts the focus on himself, taking the pressure away from his players during critical moments of the season.

He's been known to get a lot out of his players, but that doesn't necessarily mean they all like him. Columbus Blue Jackets forward Brandon Dubinsky had an interesting tweet shortly after ESPN's Kevin Weekes broke the news of the hire.

🙏🏻 for the @NHLFlyers players!

— Brandon Dubinsky (@BDubi17) June 17, 2022

But other players, such as former Rangers and Blue Jacket defenseman Michael Del Zotto who spent five seasons with Tortorella between those two franchises, understand Tortorella's way can be beneficial to their careers. Del Zotto shared his thoughts on Tortorella during training camp in 2021:

"The thing with Torts, you know where you stand with him. He's brutally honest. If you can take it, if you have thick skin, there's no other coach you'd rather play for. When you play for coaches where you don't know where you stand, it's tough to have a conversation with (them). You're not sure if they're telling the truth or not with you. With him, you know where you stand every day, and that's very hard to find. He wears his heart on his sleeve, too. He would do anything for his players."

And that's what Flyers players and fans should expect from their new coach—he doesn't hold back. You never know what he's going to say or do, but you better believe he's going to say and do exactly what he's thinking, even if it bucks convention. Maybe he'll put beloved mascot Gritty on the fourth line just to send a message to a player he thinks is dogging it.

Whatever you think of Tortorella, you can't deny this: he knows how to build a solid defensive foundation wherever he goes, which should be music to the ears of Flyers fans and players.

Tortorella installed systems that helped turn Henrik Lundqvist into a Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender and Sergei Bobrovsky into a top goalie in the league. Sure, Lundqvist was a generational goaltending talent, but it's tough to argue with Tortorella's resume, especially considering Flyers don't exactly have a strong track record when it comes to the net.

Carter Hart could be the goalie that finally breaks the curse, but he's been streaky. He got his save percentage back up over .900 last season after a down year in 2020-21, and, at only 23 years old, there's still reason to believe he could develop into the franchise goalie the club has been searching for since the 1990s.

But in order for Hart to even have a chance to develop, the Flyers will have to stop bleeding chances in front of him. Philadelphia gave up the eighth-most scoring chances in all situations last season, according to NaturalStatTrick.com, and only controlled 45.25 percent of them, the fourth-worst mark in the NHL. There were times the Flyers looked lost in the defensive zone last season, and Hart's numbers suffered as a result.

A Stanley Cup champion in 2004 with the Lightning and a Jack Adams Award winner (best coach) in 2017, Tortorella has proven credentials. Sounds great, right?

Unfortunately, his accolades don't cover up all the warts that come with him. His intensity can be what fuels the team that he coaches, but it can also be a huge detriment.

Much like many of the demanding old-school coaches, Tortorella's style can be grating. It's easy to get teams to buy into the messaging when they're winning, but when they're losing and a coach is grinding them into ice chips, it's just as easy to tune them out. It happened in New York, and there's no guarantee it won't happen again.

He's also set to turn 64 years old next week, and any coach of that age is naturally going to face the question of whether or not he can relate to today's NHL player. The game is getting younger, faster and more skilled. Tortorella has been vocal about his disdain for some of the flashy skills the younger generation of players has displayed.

He chastised dynamic Anaheim Ducks center Trevor Zegras for his signature "Michigan" style goals and assists. Those old-guard thoughts weren't totally unique, though, considering Arizona Coyotes analyst Tyson Nash caused quite a stir later in the season when said Zegras should be "prepared to get punched in the mouth" because of the perception he would "skill it up" to embarrass opponents during games.

The Flyers are going to have to rely heavily on some young players in the coming years because of the way the roster is currently constructed. This is not currently a playoff team—the Flyers' 61 points were the fourth-fewest in the NHL last season—and general manager Chuck Fletcher doesn't have a glut of cap space to work with in the immediate future.

Tortorella is going to have to squeeze a lot out of a subpar roster as Philadelphia tries to rebuild and climb out of the basement. And if he doesn't, the fans will turn on him—and quick.

Every coach goes into their job hoping for the best while understanding there's a chance it could end in disaster. Not everyone can be Bill Belichick. There are more failed and frayed endings than happy ones in sports.

For now, this is the right move for the Flyers. Will it still look that way by the time Tortorella's contract is up in four years? We'll find out.

John Tortorella is returning to the NHL.

The Philadelphia Flyers are hiring the former Columbus Blue Jackets bench boss as their next head coach, according to ESPN's Kevin Weekes. The deal is for four years and $16 million ($4 million annually), Weekes added.

The Flyers fired Alain Vigneault in December following an 8-10-2 start to the season. In parts of three seasons with the team, he was 74-54-19 but failed to reach the postseason after his first year in charge in the 2019-20 campaign.

Philadelphia brought in Mike Yeo as interim head coach, and things only went further downhill from there, as it went 17-36-7 to close the season.

It was the first time since the 1992-93 and 1993-94 seasons that the Flyers missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns. They have only won one playoff series since the 2012-13 season.

There are good pieces in place for the Flyers. Sean Couturier, Travis Konecny, Cam Atkinson and Joel Farabee are solid attackers, while Ryan Ellis, Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim are capable blue-liners. For once, the team appears to have a young goalie worth building around in Carter Hart.

What the Flyers don't have, though, is much high-end talent. While they might address that in the postseason, chances are Tortorella will be tasked with getting this group to overachieve after a 2021-22 season that saw them dramatically underachieve.

General manager Chuck Fletcher had to get the right person for the job, with another poor appointment potentially leading to his own seat growing warm. He chose Tortorella.

Tortorella last coached for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2020-21 season but was fired after the team finished at the foot of the Central Division, ending a four-year postseason run.

The 63-year-old also coached for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers (twice) and Vancouver Canucks, going 673-541-37 with 12 playoff berths, including a Stanley Cup championship with Tampa in the 2003-04 season.

Tortorella was one of the biggest names on the coaching market, and his fiery demeanor should play well in a sports town like Philly.

John Tortorella, who owns 20 years of NHL head coaching experience, has reportedly been offered the opportunity to lead the Philadelphia Flyers staff.

ESPN's Kevin Weekes reported Tuesday the sides are in "late-stage negotiations" about a contract for Tortorella to take over as the team's head coach for the 2022-23 season. TSN's Pierre LeBrun added further talks are set for Thursday.

Philadelphia narrowed its search to Tortorella and Barry Trotz, another high-profile coaching veteran, over the weekend, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

The Flyers failed to reach the playoffs each of the past two seasons and haven't advanced beyond the Eastern Conference Semifinals since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

They fired head coach Alain Vigneault in December after three seasons, and interim replacement Mike Yeo was dismissed at the end of the 2021-22 campaign, when Philly posted a 25-46-11 record, the NHL's fourth-worst mark.

Hiring a head coach will be the start of a busy offseason for Philadelphia, which must also name a new captain after trading Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers.

In May, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher noted handing out the "C" isn't a high priority.

"That's about No. 20 on our list right now. We'll get into that," Fletcher told reporters. "My assumption is we'll get through this summer, get closer to training camp, sit down and make that assessment."

More important for the franchise, which won its most recent championship in 1975, is finding a way to reinvigorate the roster.

"It is being aggressive in all phases. Certainly, part of it is we need to get younger, we have to get more talented," said Fletcher, who was hired as GM in 2018. "We have to get faster. We have to aggressively look at trades, free agency, and can we add a couple players to supplement what we have here and make this team better."

Hiring the fiery Tortorella would be an effort to change the culture in Philly's locker room.

The 63-year-old has compiled a 673-541-37-132 career record (.548 winning percentage) across 1,383 games as a head coach with the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks.

Tortorella is a two-time winner of the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's best coach, taking home the honor in 2003-04 with the Lightning—who won their first Cup title—and 2016-17 with Blue Jackets.

The Boston native mutually parted ways with Columbus following the 2020-21 season and spent the past year as a hockey analyst for ESPN.

Trotz owns a 914-670-60-168 record (.567) from stints with the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders. He guided the Caps to the 2018 Stanley Cup title.

The 59-year-old Canadian was let go by the Isles at the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.

The Philadelphia Flyers have narrowed down their coaching search, with Barry Trotz and John Tortorella included as finalists, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

The Flyers fired Alain Vigneault in December, just 22 games into the season and following an eight-game losing streak. Mike Yeo was appointed as interim head coach, but the Flyers went just 17-36-7 under his watch and missed the postseason for the second straight year.

Between the 1994-95 and 2011-12 seasons, the Flyers missed the playoffs just once. But since then, the team has qualified for the postseason just four times in the past 10 years, cycling through six different coaches (Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol and Vigneault) and interim coaches (Scott Gordon and Yeo) in that time.

Since the team's inception in 1966, the Flyers have gone through 22 different head coaches and interim coaches, so turnover at the position has been the norm. Fred Shero (1971-78) is the only Flyers coach in the team's history to last five or more years.

In the past, that didn't keep the Flyers from being a consistent playoff team, outside a few dry patches. In recent years, that trend has changed.

As for the reported finalists, the 63-year-old Tortorella has coached for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers (twice), Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks, accumulating a 673-541-37 record with 12 playoff berths and a Stanley Cup championship in the 2002-03 season with the Lightning.

Trotz, 59, has coached for the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders in his career, going 557-479-60 with 14 playoff berths and a Stanley Cup title in the 2017-18 season with the Capitals.

If the pair are indeed finalists for Philly, the team is clearly looking to bring in a veteran, established coach to turn the ship around as it continues to rebuild and retool.

The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly interested in a high-profile veteran head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported Philadelphia interviewed John Tortorella for its head coaching vacancy. The position is open after the franchise elected not to bring back Mike Yeo, who was elevated to head coach after the Flyers fired Alain Vigneault in December.

"We're going to get together tomorrow … and the first thing we're going to do is put together an ideal candidate profile," general manager Chuck Fletcher told reporters after making the Yeo decision. "We're going to really go through a very thorough discussion on what we're trying to achieve, what we're looking at. At this stage all options are open. We're just starting the process. Once we build that candidate profile, what we're looking for, we'll start to reach out to candidates we want to interview."

Philadelphia went 17-36-7 under Yeo and 8-10-4 under Vigneault this past season, finishing in last place in the Metropolitan Division. It has finished in fifth place or worse in its division in six of the last eight campaigns.

That means whoever takes over the coaching position will be facing the daunting challenge of turning things around in a division that features the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

Tortorella is accustomed to taking an underdog team and competing in the Metropolitan Division, though, from his time on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He coached Columbus from 2015-16 through 2020-21 and led it to the playoffs four straight seasons in that span. The Blue Jackets have made the playoffs just two other times in franchise history outside of Tortorella's tenure, and they won their only best-of-seven postseason series when they stunned the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning with a sweep in 2019.

Tortorella has also coached the New York Rangers, Lightning and Vancouver Canucks during his career and notably led Tampa Bay to the 2004 Stanley Cup title. His teams have 1,515 points in 1,383 games for a .548 point percentage throughout his career, and he has 12 postseason appearances.

Philadelphia is looking for its first Stanley Cup title since 1975 and could reestablish itself as a contender under Tortorella if he is the direction the front office chooses for the head-coaching position.          

The NHL announced the Jack Adams Award finalists Thursday, which means three coaches can (probably) say they are safe to keep their jobs beyond this season: the New York Rangers' Gerard Gallant, Calgary Flames' Darryl Sutter and Florida Panthers' Andrew Brunette. 

These are three very different coaches with varying styles. Gallant is considered an affable players' coach. He's a motivator and has his players' backs, all while guiding them through the season with an even-keeled demeanor. 

Sutter is as old-school as they come. He grew up playing in the frozen farmlands of Viking, Alberta, was previously the coach and general manager of the Flames before he returned to the farm for a year and then came back to help the Los Angeles Kings win two Stanley Cups. He has long implemented a grinding, physically demanding style of play. 

Brunette, who carries the interim label, stepped into a difficult situation and deftly guided the Panthers to the Presidents' Trophy after Joel Quenneville resigned.

Other teams aren't quite as lucky with their coaching situations. The week began with the New York Islanders filling their opening by promoting assistant Lane Lambert shortly before the Vegas Golden Knights fired Peter DeBoer, the second coach in the franchise's five-season history. 

Barry Trotz is still on the market, having been fired by the Islanders last week, though he has already interviewed with the Winnipeg Jets. Openings exist in Detroit and Philadelphia. Speculation looms that there may be another vacancy in Dallas, and the bench bosses in Chicago and Montreal still have interim tags ahead of their names. 

With that said, let's take a look at the landscape and try to predict where a few coaches will end up, as well as examine some up-and-coming coaches who could vie for head jobs soon.

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Detroit Red Wings: Mike Vellucci

General manager Steve Yzerman recently fired Jeff Blashill and will keep his cards close to his vest in the search for the Detroit Red Wings' new coach. This is how the franchise legend has always operated, and there is no reason to expect he'll suddenly do things differently. 

It gets tough to move in complete secrecy in this business unless you're Lou Lamoriello and all you have to do is tell the club's owner that the coach is getting fired without consulting anyone who could leak information. 

But if Yzerman wants to cast a wide net, he'll have to talk to agents and team executives in order to receive permission to speak with candidates. And he should talk to Pittsburgh Penguins president Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall regarding the availability of assistant coach Mike Vellucci.

Vellucci is a Detroit-area native from Farmington, Michigan, and he was the longtime head coach of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers before he worked up the pro ranks in the front office with the Carolina Hurricanes, as the head coach of the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Vellucci brings experience but isn't a recycled NHL head coach. Yzerman has gone outside the traditional pipelines to fill head coaching jobs in the past, hiring a relatively unknown commodity named Jon Cooper when he was the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Given Yzerman's history with Cooper, if Vellucci doesn't move him, then maybe Cooper's assistant Derek Lalonde will. 

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Philadelphia Flyers: John Tortorella

John Tortorella proved to have some behind-the-times views when he said on ESPN that the lacrosse-style goal that burgeoning Anaheim Ducks stars Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano combined for earlier this year was bad for the game. There is no doubt the lightning rod of a coach would get the fans talking in Philadelphia if nothing else.

He is known for being demanding and holding his team accountable, but behind the curtain, his demeanor is that of a coach who fiercely protects his players, which would also be helpful with a demanding, blue-collar fanbase such as the one in Philadelphia.

He has the credentials: Tortorella led the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup title, is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner, has coached a team to a season of 100 or more points three times, reached the playoffs 12 playoffs times and recorded 10 series victories.

His calling card is defense, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were adept at limiting chances when he was at the helm. The Flyers had little structure under Alain Vigneault and later under interim coach Mike Yeo, bleeding chances in the defensive zone.

Last season, Philadelphia allowed nearly 2000 five-on-five scoring chances (1,971), per NaturalStatTrick.com, which was the eighth-most in the NHL. Playing like that certainly can't help when it comes to developing a goalie like Carter Hart. 

However, Tortorella's effectiveness can wane as the tough love wears thin, especially if his teams aren't winning. But hey, it's worked for Sutter. Tortorella might not be a long-term solution but instead a way to bridge the gap to the next coach. 

If not Tortorella, then Trotz could be the answer. 

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Winnipeg Jets: Barry Trotz

Few coaches do more with less than Trotz. 

The system is the star with the 59-year-old, and it's heavily predicated on defense and limiting chances. But he has proved this style of play can win, as is evidenced by his 914 career victories and a 2018 Stanley Cup. 

The Jets could have some key long-term pieces in place to retool around in forward Kyle Connor and defenseman Josh Morrissey. Franchise cornerstones Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck will still be around for a few more years, and Pierre-Luc Dubois is in need of an extension, as he'll be a restricted free agent this summer.

Trotz, a Dauphin, Manitoba, native, once brought the Cup back to the province during his day with it after he won the title with Washington, but he has a chance to bring it back as more than just a display item. 

The other name that could be in the mix is Randy Carlyle, the 66-year-old former Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs coach. 

Carlye hasn't coached since he was fired from his second stint with Anaheim in 2019. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the former Winnipeg defenseman is interested in getting behind a bench again.

Carlyle's style was a little stale toward the end with the Ducks, though the second time around in Orange County, he did prove to have a softer demeanor and showed an ability to adapt. 

He could be continuing to evolve, and if that's the case, then it makes sense for a team to at least inquire about the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning coach. 

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Vegas Golden Knights: Rick Tocchet

Rick Tocchet made some strides with the Arizona Coyotes, taking them to the playoffs in 2020. But the TNT analyst wasn't given much of a chance to show what he could do as a coach in Arizona since the club decided to rebuild and go in another direction in 2021, hiring former Ottawa 67's coach and Team Canada World Junior coach Andre Tourigney. 

Prior to that, Tocchet's first head coaching job came in 2008, when he got the interim role in Tampa Bay after the Lightning fired Barry Melrose. Tocchet was fired after the 2010 season, having posted a 53-69-26 record in two years.

The 58-year-old has played in 1,144 career NHL games and won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach on Mike Sullivan's bench, overseeing a power play that often featured Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. 

It's tough to get a read on the Golden Knights given the club's tendency to make decisions on a whim, like parting with former coach Gerard Gallant in the middle of the season and trading away former franchise face Marc-Andre Fleury. But Tocchet developed a respected, no-nonsense approach in Arizona, and with a roster of veterans who want to win and who know what it takes to do so, that style could be effective. 

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Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer

Look, this is a shot in the dark, but it seems as though Rick Bowness has outlived his effectiveness. The Dallas Stars made it to the first round of the playoffs and pushed the Flames to seven games, largely based on the performance of emerging young goalie Jake Oettinger. 

But getting into the playoffs shouldn't be the goal for a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final while in the bubble two years ago. Sure, we could point to the flukey nature of the bubble, but it was an even playing field for everyone in Edmonton and Toronto, so no one can say they didn't earn it. 

The Stars are in a tough place with an aging core and some top young talent. They either have to move on from players such as John Klingberg or risk clinging to the past and mediocrity. That won't be easy, considering Tyler Seguin has five years left on his contract and Jamie Benn has three. 

The club was at an impasse with Klingberg, an impending unrestricted free agent, earlier this year, but he has expressed a desire to stay in Texas. 

No decision has been made on Bowness, but if Dallas decides it has enough talent to continue on this same path and go for it in the near future, it might want a win-now coach such as DeBoer, who has led two teams to the Cup Final (New Jersey Devils in 2012, San Jose Sharks in 2016). 

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Under-the-Radar Names

There is a dearth of European coaches and executives in the NHL. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (Finland) and Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin (Sweden) are the only two Europeans to hold high-level executive positions. There are no European head coaches. 

Marco Sturm could soon change that. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, Sturm is getting NHL coaching experience as a Kings assistant on Todd McLellan's bench. He has also coached the German national team in international competition. 

Rikard Gronborg's name comes up every year. The longtime Swedish national team coach is guiding Switzerland’s ZSC Lions but has worked in North America in collegiate ranks. 

Patrik Elias has also coached the Czech junior national team and with the Devils as a special assistant of sorts. He expressed interest in coaching in the NHL a few years ago, though he may need some experience as an assistant or as the coach of an AHL team first.

And speaking of the Devils, Alain Nasreddine, who briefly served as New Jersey's interim coach when John Hynes was fired in December 2019, parted ways with the Devils recently. Nasreddine could either take his lockdown penalty-killing system elsewhere in the NHL or try to become an AHL head coach to gain experience in the big chair. 

Kris Knoblauch's name was mentioned last year after the Rangers fired David Quinn. The coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack since 2019 and a former assistant coach with the Flyers, Knoblauch could be ready to make the jump to an NHL head coaching job.

Quinn is also on the market, as is Claude Julien. Both coached at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The Montreal Canadiens went from a Stanley Cup Final in 2021 to picking No. 1 overall in the 2022 NHL draft during a year in which the Habs are hosting the event at Bell Centre.

What a wild year it's been for one of the NHL's most historic franchises. Montreal is going to party like it's 1993. 

Shane Wright is the projected first overall pick. There has been some debate as to whether or not the OHL center is worthy of the honor after a slow start to the season, but 94 points in 63 games with the Kingston Frontenacs was good enough to land him on top of the NHL's Central Scouting bureau's latest prospect rankings. 

The New Jersey Devils are picking second, marking the fourth time in six years the club has selected in the top five. The Arizona Coyotes, who had the second-best odds to land the first pick, will select third, the Seattle Kraken fourth and the Philadelphia Flyers will go fifth. 

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings won a few too many games and they'll go seventh and eighth, respectively. The Columbus Blue Jackets got the Chicago Blackhawks' sixth pick as part of the terms of the Seth Jones trade and they'll make two selections in the first round. 

Let's take a look at some of the highs and lows from the night with draft lottery winners and losers. 

Winner: Montreal Canadiens

Wright should start brushing up on his French. 

The OHL forward is one of eight players in CHL history to be granted exceptional status and he was clearly worthy, scoring 39 goals in 58 games as a 15-year-old. A speedy, skilled center like Wright is the perfect building block piece for a team like the Habs. Putting Wright behind Nick Suzuki will give them a 1-2 punch up the middle that can grow together as new general manager Kent Hughes and president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton build around those two and winger Cole Caufield. 

Last year, the Canadiens were the talk of the draft for the wrong reason. Former general manager Marc Bergevin stood at the podium at Bell Centre and defiantly chose Logan Mailloux, a prospect who had asked teams not to choose him after he was convicted of a crime of sexual nature in Sweden. There was some concern that it would damage the brand and isolate women who support the team. 

But Bergevin was fired less than two months into the 2021-22 season and he's now working under Rob Blake in Los Angeles. It's a new era in Montreal, and though it likely won't be a successful one right away, the team has turned the page and the excitement is rapidly building. 

Loser: Philadelphia Flyers

This is a big offseason for general manager Chuck Fletcher. The Flyers don't have a coach, a clear team identity or a clear direction in which the team is headed. The club has decided to stick with the GM it hired in the fall of 2018 as they attempt an "aggressive retool" after a season Fletcher described as "beyond unacceptable." 

It's not that the fifth pick is bad. The general consensus is that this is a very good draft class, but one that still has some question marks after Wright.

Maybe they end up with another center like Matthew Savoie, a very skilled and disciplined playmaker. Maybe it's a big defenseman like David Jiricek they can pair with Ivan Provorov in the future (should they keep Provorov).

The 2023 class is absolutely loaded, but this one has a lot of high-end talent, so the Flyers are going to get a quality player and a possible franchise cornerstone. It just might not be one that makes an impact right away. Fletcher said he's not asking fans to wait 5-7 years for a winning product and a player like Wright, who could step into a lineup next season, would have helped expedite that retool. 

Winner: New Jersey Devils

The Devils have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prospects these days, which is a change from some lottery seasons a few years ago. The cupboards were pretty bare when they took Swiss center Nico Hischier at No. 1 overall in 2017. They can add another talented young player to that stockpile with the second overall pick.

Things were looking up three years ago when they chose Jack Hughes with the first overall pick, but things quickly fell apart. And now the club is at a crossroads: This rebuild cannot last forever. 

The fans have been angry for years since this was not a club that really underwent any significant rebuilds when longtime former general manager and president Lou Lamoriello was running the show. But they've made the playoffs just once since 2012 and this last season was marred by injuries to top players like Hughes and Dougie Hamilton and bad goaltending. 

They won't find that goaltender with the No. 2 pick, but it could help them obtain one.

Could general manager Tom Fitzgerald be swayed to give it up for a true No. 1 goalie? He seemed to be open to the possibility last week when he addressed the media in his end-of-season press conference, saying if he see a trade that would upgrade the NHL roster he would not hesitate to make it.

The Anaheim Ducks are rebuilding, and John Gibson is rumored to be on the market. Or maybe it's an impact defenseman to play with Hamilton or a high-end winger for Hughes. 

There are tons of possibilities and the Devils are in a good spot with that second pick. 

Loser: Arizona Coyotes

All that tanking and the desert dogs only got the third pick. 

Look, it's not that the No. 3 overall pick is a bad thing, but a player like Wright would bring some much-needed excitement and talent to a team in desperate need of both. 

The Coyotes will play next season and possibly beyond at Arizona State's new rink. No offense to the Sun Devils because that program is a great success story of the growth of hockey in an untraditional market, but an NHL team shouldn't be playing in a 5000-seat college rink intended for intramural sports. The morale is low in the desert right now and for good reason.

Arizona can continue tanking next season to get Connor Bedard or Matvei Michkov. Maybe by the time Michkov, a KHL player who is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through 2025, is able to play in North America the new arena in Tempe that has long been promised will finally be completed. 

Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have a whopping three first-round picks, while the Blue Jackets have two lottery picks. Both teams have options when it comes to using those selections. 

Columbus didn't move up or down, but it did get the Blackhawks first-round pick. Had Chicago won either of the top two picks, the Blue Jackets would have received the first-round pick next year. Chicago did Columbus a solid with such a dismal season but not too dismal, and as a result the team received the sixth pick and the Jones trade was finally completed.

Last season, the Blue Jackets used two of their 2021 draftees, Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger, and saw good production and development from both. They're hoping to replicate that success as they build toward becoming a playoff team in the near future.

This is a chance for the Sabres to grab a few more prospects and show that they have improved their player development program. So far, it appears as though strides have been made in this area, as is evidenced by center Tage Thompson and his breakout season, but these next few years be crucial for a franchise that tries to shed its losing reputation and prove that it can develop talent and build a winning team. 

Loser: Chicago Blackhawks

This was the result of bad management. The 'Hawks went all in last summer and as a result, they gave up that pick in the Jones trade. Former general manager Stan Bowman made a short-sighted decision to try and load up in an attempt to give Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews one more chance at a Stanley Cup. But Bowman resigned amid following the investigation of the sexual assault allegations against Brad Aldrich and the team was bad right from the start. They fired coach Jeremy Colliton and Derek King still has the interim tag. 

The Blackhawks took the interim tag off of general manager Kyle Davidson, and it sure sounds like he's going to start rebuilding. A first-round pick sure would help jump-start a rebuild, but the 'Hawks will have to wait until next year to select one.

New York Islanders team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello might have shocked the hockey world Monday morning when he unceremoniously fired coach Barry Trotz, but those who have followed his career will tell you the move was par for the course for the 79-year-old Hall of Fame executive.

Lamoriello is known as an iron-fisted, tight-lipped executive who views coaches as expendable. He fired Robbie Ftorek with eight games left in the regular season when the New Jersey Devils were leading the Eastern Conference standings.

Often compared to George Steinbrenner and sometimes called the "Baby Boss" by the local media, Lamoriello made 20 coaching moves during his tenure as the president and general manager of the Devils.

Trotz won the Jack Adams Award in 2019 and took the Islanders to back-to-back conference final/semifinal rounds in 2020 and 2021, losing to the eventual champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, both years.

Keep in mind that this was mostly accomplished with players acquired by former general manager Garth Snow.

But Lou is back to his old ways.

"This would be a tremendous understatement to say that it was an easy decision to make, but unfortunately, it's my role to make the best decisions for the organization going forward," Lamoriello said on a conference call shortly after announcing the decision. "I believe that this group of players needs a new voice."

As for what that new voice needs to sound like, Lamoriello isn't sure yet. He offered no specifics other than to say he was unhappy with the offensive production and that the decision was not made primarily on this season.

Lamoriello said he does not need to report to anyone except for owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin.

"Did I consult with anyone on this decision, the answer is no. Did I speak to players on this decision? No. I would never even consider thinking of anything like that," he said. "This decision is on the knowledge that I have, of the experiences I've had, and going forward, what I think and feel is best for this group to have success."

But here's where he got it wrong: While this kind of thinking might have worked in the 1990s and the early aughts in New Jersey, it doesn't work in 2022. This is a team devoid of a true star because Trotz's vaunted defensive system is the star.

Lamoriello's philosophy that players should play for the name on the front of the jersey and not on the back, regardless of the cameras, media outlets and social media platforms is quaint but outdated.

Another team is going to get a very good coach in Trotz. Let's take a look at where he could land.

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Detroit Red Wings

Detroit seems like an obvious destination for Trotz, considering this is an up-and-coming team with high-end young talent that needs a coach to help them put it all together.

Jeff Blashill was recently fired after losing seasons in six of the last seven campaigns, though you could make the argument that he never really had a chance given how long this rebuild has taken.

However, you need to look at the general manager's history of coaching hires to try to connect the dots. Steve Yzerman has hired two head coaches as an executive, both in Tampa: Guy Boucher and Jon Cooper. Both were relatively young and relatively new to NHL coaching.

Boucher came to the NHL from the AHL and, as a rookie head coach, led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Final. He bridged the gap for Cooper, who was the club's AHL coach. Cooper played lacrosse in college and was a practicing lawyer before moving into coaching.

Yzerman has an eye for coaching talent, so while this might seem like an obvious move on paper when you look at the hiring patterns, it suddenly doesn't feel like one anymore.

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Philadelphia Flyers

General manager Chuck Fletcher is hanging on to his job by a thread. He hired coach Alain Vigneault prior to the 2019-20 season and fired him this season, replacing him with assistant coach Mike Yeo. The club recently announced that they are moving on from Yeo, though they would like to keep him in the organization.

The Flyers are in a weird spot. They dealt veteran captain Claude Giroux at the trade deadline a few months ago and have significant money committed to some veterans on the roster, with new deals kicking in for Joel Farabee and Rasmus Ristolainen next season.

The young players are struggling to develop, but that's not uncommon in a losing season.

The defensive structure was an Achilles' heel for Philadelphia last season, as the Flyers allowed the fourth-most shot attempts at five-on-five and the eighth-most scoring chances. Trotz's calling card is his defensive system.

Plus, the club has long struggled to develop goaltending talent. Bleeding chances like that would be a challenge for even the best goalies in the world, but a better defensive setup and Trotz's renowned goaltending coach Mitch Korn could help Carter Hart finally become a franchise backstop.

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New Jersey Devils

General manager Tom Fitzgerald has made one NHL coaching hire since taking over for Ray Shero early in 2020, going with veteran Lindy Ruff.

He recently threw his support behind his head coach after yet another dismal season, but could the availability of Trotz change his mind? Fitzgerald has some familiarity with Trotz, having played for him in Nashville.

The Devils were mediore at best scoring goals last season, a problem further exacerbated by injuries, poor goaltending and a disastrous power play.

It's unclear whether the club is content with goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, but bringing in Trotz to fix the defense and Korn to aid in the goaltending (assuming they are still a package deal) could help the club finally take a step toward a return to prominence.

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Vancouver Canucks

Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have a June 1 deadline to decide whether to pick up Bruce Boudreau's option year. Boudreau replaced Travis Green for the final 57 games of the season, and the Canucks pushed for a playoff spot, but that might not be enough of a sample size to retain the affable Boudreau.

Rutherford seems on the fence, saying he might need to see how Boudreau does over a full season.

One thing to keep in mind here is that Boudreau was hired by owner Francesco Aquilini before he fired general manager Jim Benning and brought in Rutherford and Allvin. The former Pittsburgh Penguins front office duo might want to put their own stamp on the organization with their own coach.

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Vegas Golden Knights

What will the Golden Knights do with Peter DeBoer after the club's failure to make the playoffs? Former Caps GM George McPhee is in Vegas as the president of hockey operations—Trotz and McPhee previously worked together in the Washington Capitals organization when Trotz was the AHL coach (Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates) in the 1990s.

DeBoer might be a very respected coach, but he has a reputation for wearing out his welcome. He hasn't been in Vegas for very long, but the decision-making group there has proved to be somewhat impulsive.

DeBoer's timing hasn't been great as he was in New Jersey during the start of their rebuild and in San Jose as the roster began to age. He took both of those teams to Stanley Cup Finals, but the difference is that Trotz won it all while DeBoer has yet to reach that peak.

The Golden Knights are in win-now mode with significant money committed to players 30 and over. Trotz is a win-now coach.

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San Jose Sharks

Bob Boughner is in a similar spot to his predecessor in that his job status seems to be tenuous.

Longtime general manager Doug Wilson recently stepped down citing health issues and Sharks president Jonathan Becher and interim general manager Joe Will are conducting a search for his replacement.

A coach is rarely hired before a general manager, but stranger things have happened (see the above on Boudreau). It's more likely the Sharks will let a new GM conduct his own coaching search, but if Trotz is still available when a new executive is hired, then he could be an attractive option.

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Winnipeg Jets

This feels like the most natural fit. Trotz is a Manitoba native, and he played and coached at the University of Manitoba, as well as with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Former head coach Paul Maurice resigned earlier this season, and under interim coach Dave Lowry, the Jets failed to reach the postseason. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Lowry can interview for the full-time job, but it sounds as though the club will move on from him.

This is a team in dire need of a reset. Maurice never could take the Jets deep into the postseason, and the roster is flawed. It seemed as though the message grew stale.

Trotz has long been lauded for understanding how to keep his message fresh. The 59-year-old is a proven winner, and as a proud Manitoban, he would bring some much-needed excitement back to the fanbase.

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Where do the Islanders go next?

When Trotz left Washington, he was replaced by assistant coach Todd Reirden. The Islanders could choose to go in a similar direction with Lane Lambert, Trotz's longtime right-hand man. Lambert has long been viewed as an up-and-coming coach, and some have wondered why he doesn't already have a head-coaching job.

Lambert, as well as the rest of the staff, is still under contract with the club, but Lamoriello said the new coach will get the final say on personnel. Lambert should be an option, but his time with Trotz dates back a decade to the Nashville Predators. Reirden didn't quite have the history that Lambert has.

One name to keep an eye on is Mike Babcock. This would be questionable given the allegations of abuse toward players that emerged after Babcock was fired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lamoriello worked with Babcock in Toronto, though, and he has gone back to the same coaching well on a few occasions (Jacques Lemaire, anyone?), so there is a familiarity.

The Philadelphia Flyers will not retain interim head coach Mike Yeo for the full-time role, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Tuesday.

Yeo went 17-36-7 after replacing Alain Vigneault in December. The Flyers finished with a Metropolitan Division-low 61 points during the regular season, which was the league's fourth-worst total overall.

Yeo, 48, previously spent time as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He's made the playoffs four times in his coaching career but has never gotten past the second round.

Fletcher said it's possible Yeo returns to Philadelphia under the new head coach, but he's "free to speak to other teams." 

"We're going to put together an ideal candidate profile. At this stage all options are open. Once we build that candidate profile, we'll start reaching out to candidates," Fletcher said of the new head coach. "Clearly, we have to drill down on what we're looking for."

The Flyers have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons. The 2021-22 campaign was a major step back from their 25-23-8 record a year ago; Fletcher says he plans an "aggressive retool" of the roster during the offseason.