In just one year as head coach of the Flyers, John Tortorella sure has had a lot of surprising and memorable moments. Some are funny, like this mid-game interview featuring a freshly kicked-in-the-face-by-a-horse Torts; others are head-scratching comparisons to bathroom fixtures; and then there’s this anecdote from prospect Cutter Gauthier. In contrast to the entertainment, however, are some failures: a testy relationship with Kevin Hayes that led to an unceremonious trade to St. Louis, scratching Travis Sanheim for his “hometown” game, and a mystery altercation with Tony DeAngelo that ended in five straight healthy scratches and a buyout after a flubbed trade.
In peak Philadelphia Flyer fan fashion, a lot of folks are focusing on these negatives – and the biggest question now that the Flyers are officially rebuilding is, “Is John Tortorella capable of effectively developing young talent without scaring players out of the organization?”
Given his cantankerous personality and track record as a coach with high expectations, it’s a fair question. Add in the handful of players he’s alienated with his antics and frequent claims of him being a “dinosaur,” things look bleak.
However, as far as player growth in the 2022-23 season, Torts had more successes than failures.
Yes, he called Morgan Frost a toilet seat in November – and then from December to the end of the season, Frost was one of the best scorers for the team. Owen Tippett, after years of not getting minutes on a stacked Florida Panthers team, finally broke through as a potential top-six scoring threat, with Torts heaping minutes on him by season’s end. Cam York, after a bumpy preseason that saw him start the regular season on the Phantoms, rejoined the Flyers on the top pair and produced positive results with the most minutes of his career – all while playing his off side. Noah Cates, a winger who Torts moved to center out of necessity, got Selke votes in his rookie season.
And then, of course, there’s Travis Konecny. After two down years, TK put a stamp on 2022-23 and proved that he can be a top-six player – but there was a chance things didn’t pan out that way. Early in the season, Torts benched both TK and Hayes for subpar play in a lousy loss to the San Jose Sharks. Both players handled that benching very differently: it’s not known what Hayes did, but TK sought out Torts to talk about it, and came out flying the next game – and didn’t look back.
It’s fair to wonder if Torts has what it takes to mold young talent; after all, he’s usually been regarded as a “win-now” coach, not one to spearhead a rebuilding roster. Drawing conclusions from a single season would be foolish, but as far as prospect development goes, 2022-23 was mostly successful. We’ll have to see wait and see how 2023-24 pans out when prospects like Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and Elliot Desnoyers make pushes for roster spots, but hey – Torts has surprised us before, and maybe he will again.
