VOORHEES, N.J. (AP) — Put those playoff plans on hold, Kites fans.
And not just this season.
Philadelphia is stuck on the outside of the postseason for the fourth year in a row after its fate was decided in Game 82. The Flyers’ acceleration from an expected painful rebuild to the eve of the playoffs was faster than expected – especially among those whose opinions matter most. , coach John Tortorella and general manager Danny Briere – which made the season-ending freefall all the more puzzling and heartbreaking.
As for next season? Even then, the playoffs aren’t necessarily a benchmark in the process.
“We’re still a ways away,” Tortorella said Friday. “We have so much work to do with this team. There are holes in the team. It’s going to take more time.”
Added Briere: “I know the expectation next year is going to be, oh, we’ve got to get to the playoffs. I don’t even know that we’re there yet. It’s been a great year. But there’s still a long way to go. ” to go.”
Don’t rush to order those season tickets!
The reality is that preaching patience about the playoffs has been the long-term blueprint in Philadelphia since Briere took over at the end of last season. This season – which ended with the Flyers being eliminated last week in the final game of the season – has been more about finding the young core worth developing as the team grows into a hopeful eventual contender in the Eastern Conference .
Tyson Foerster. Cam York. Owen Tippett. Morgan Frost. Samuel Ersson.
Not a bad start. Just not enough to chase a Stanley Cup.
“I think we still need to add talent to our team,” Tortorella said.
Reaching 66, Tortorella said he is “as energetic as I have ever been, already thinking about next year” and will return to the bench to do his part in the rebuild.
“I’m totally happy with it,” Tortorella said, “until Danny says, ‘Get out of here.’”
No chance.
Briere was a supporter of the work Tortorella did this season as he guided the Flyers to the final game of the season with meaningful hockey to play. It was widely predicted by pundits, fans and oddsmakers that the Flyers would finish at the bottom of the NHL. In his second season on the bench, Tortorella instead squeezed every ounce of talent and summoned all the grit he could from his players to push them into a playoff race.
Not only were the Flyers playing in over their heads for most of the season, but they also managed to avoid the loss of No. 1 goaltender Carter Hart amid sexual assault allegations and the murky circumstances that led to No. 1 draft pick of 2022, Cutter Gauthier, who made a trade.
Yet the ending was so crushing as a playoff berth was in hand until an eight-game losing streak that bridged March and April proved to be the death knell for their season.
Tortorella took much of the blame for the collapse.
“I couldn’t get the team to close the deal,” Tortorella said. “It was a concern of mine, there are still about 25 games left in the season. Can we stay with that? I think my job is to make it to the end. I think the team will make it to the end played hard. I just didn’t do it.” close the deal.”
But why? The answers seem somewhat obvious at first glance. Ersson went from backup goalkeeper to workhorse, sinking under the stress of heavy minutes. The team ran out of gas after a rough schedule in early March against some of the top teams in the NHL. Perhaps a notoriously prickly Tortorella pushed his players past the point where they could produce more than he expected of them.
“I made some mistakes this year,” Tortorella said, “not the mistakes you might think I made.”
The big mistake, of course, was benching Sean Couturier just 34 days after being named team captain.
Only those in the locker room know the true consequences of Tortorella’s choice in mid-March to make such a bold and controversial call. But Tortorella answered multiple questions and took nearly 10 minutes to defend himself Friday — and stood by his decision.
While Tortorella admitted the timing wasn’t great, he added: “The captaincy won’t stop me from holding people accountable.”
Couturier said at the time that he was “frustrated with the way I have been treated” and his agent called out the franchise for a lack of communication.
Tortorella said Friday that the criticism “caught me a little off guard” but defended his style in the locker room and insisted his players always knew where they stood with the coaching staff. Tortorella also lambasted officer Erik Lupien, calling him “a little piss-ant who beats his chest and really doesn’t know what’s going on between Sean and me.”
“I think it turned into a lot of drama,” Tortorella said.
unlawful act? Drama? Who he?
“You’ve got the wrong coach here if we’re going to hug,” Tortorella said.
Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, brandished his reputation as a fiery, no-nonsense coach on a team still largely made up of young 20-somethings making their way in the NHL. Briere is behind Tortorella, and the coach appears to have the support of the locker room, which largely expects him to return next year.
With the 12th pick in the draft, there is little expectation of an impact player to emerge, and the Flyers are primarily looking at cheap, short-term deals – like the one-year, cap-friendly deal given to Marc Staal last year – for experienced players. staff.
“I still think we need to do more before we can take that next step and push the boundaries and take some more risks,” Briere said. “I still think we are at a stage where we need to think about the future. We need to take the right path to give us the best chance to be serious contenders in the coming years and not just for a year or two. “
