He hasnt fallen in love with anyone. He simply plays people who deserve it in his mind. If Fost is not playing at his best, it doesnt matter how skilled you are, he will demote you. We saw it with Coots as well. He was of course hurt as well but I can guarantee you Coots will be back as the #1C this season as long as he plays at the level expected of him.

I have no issue with this as it demands your young players to put the work in and not take their position in the lineup for granted. Something someone like Dubois does. Poehling wasnt the #1 C because Torts loves him, it was because everyone else was just that bad. Guys like Coots, Frost and Even laughton are held to higher standards, as they should be. The better players should be better than your 4th line guy and that simply was not the case down the stretch.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

When was Laughton ever held "accountable"? He had multiple rough stretches last season. Including two separate goalless draughts of 10 games.

The Flyers love fans like you. The Flyers process has not worked for over a decade yet you continue to give them the benefit of the doubt.

https://x.com/FriedgeHNIC...-mcgroarty-to-penguins%2F


Brayden Yager
- Flyers_01

14th overall for 14 overall a year apart

dont deflect answer my question.
- hello it's me 2050

How is it deflecting? How do you know they arent qualified? Im not the one who hired the, I didnt see their resume, I dont know what theyve been doing for years. The point is neither do you. You have no idea what kind of training they got before coming here or any of their credentials.

You probably had no idea Briere was a GM of a team before taking a job as Fletcher's Special assistant. I didnt.

What player is that?
- jd250

I love how it could be so many different players that you have to ask for confirmation. Let's Go Flyers!

When was Laughton ever held "accountable"? He had multiple rough stretches last season. Including two separate goalless draughts of 10 games.

The Flyers love fans like you. The Flyers process has not worked for over a decade yet you continue to give them the benefit of the doubt.
- mickel25

So your solution is to bench everyone? Is Poehling playing above Laughto not a sort of accountability? You had 3 Cs not playing to par, you cant bench everyone. Laughton was the closest one to par. He put up what 39 points last season. That is good for Laughton. He was also placed on the 4th line a few times as well. Laughton was an issue but Frost and Coots became bigger ones. If I have to choose to demote top 6 players for playing like 4th liners or a 3rd liner playing like a 4th liner, Im going to punish the guys I expect a lot more from.

Fixing Laughtons defensive game was not as important as getting Frost and Coots going.

one is coach and one is a gm, little diff no?
- hello it's me 2050

No, not IMO. One keeps getting hired while the other has had two GM jobs and will likely NEVER be a GM in the NHL again. It appears that Torts must be doing something right .

No other team had interest in hiring Torts in 2022, but the Flyers still managed to outbid themselves to the tune of $16,000,000.

So your solution is to bench everyone? Is Poehling playing above Laughto not a sort of accountability? You had 3 Cs not playing to par, you cant bench everyone. Laughton was the closest one to par. He put up what 39 points last season. That is good for Laughton. He was also placed on the 4th line a few times as well. Laughton was an issue but Frost and Coots became bigger ones. If I have to choose to demote top 6 players for playing like 4th liners or a 3rd liner playing like a 4th liner, Im going to punish the guys I expect a lot more from.

Fixing Laughtons defensive game was not as important as getting Frost and Coots going.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

That's Tortorella's solution to everything. Often to the team's detriment. Two of these centers were benched or scratched. Two others weren't.

Frost P/60 1.77 CF% 51.35 GF% 56.25

Couturier P/60 1.53 CF% 56.83 GF% 46.94

Laughton P/60 1.36 CF% 45.53 GF% 41.11

Poehling P/60 1.28 CF% 50.23 GF% 43.24

No, not IMO. One keeps getting hired while the other has had two GM jobs and will likely NEVER be a GM in the NHL again. It appears that Torts must be doing something right .
- Phillywhiteout

That's my standard. I just want a coach who gets hired. Results are overrated.

So your solution is to bench everyone? Is Poehling playing above Laughto not a sort of accountability? You had 3 Cs not playing to par, you cant bench everyone. Laughton was the closest one to par. He put up what 39 points last season. That is good for Laughton. He was also placed on the 4th line a few times as well. Laughton was an issue but Frost and Coots became bigger ones. If I have to choose to demote top 6 players for playing like 4th liners or a 3rd liner playing like a 4th liner, Im going to punish the guys I expect a lot more from.

Fixing Laughtons defensive game was not as important as getting Frost and Coots going.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

My solution is to put players in the best positions for them to succeed. Not find a few whipping boys and pick on them ad nauseum.

Yager is good. Only flyers prospect like that is MM.
- WhiskeyMan

This looks like a win for both teams. Yager may be a better fit with the Jets and the same for Rutger with the Pens.

How is it deflecting? How do you know they arent qualified? Im not the one who hired the, I didnt see their resume, I dont know what theyve been doing for years. The point is neither do you. You have no idea what kind of training they got before coming here or any of their credentials.

You probably had no idea Briere was a GM of a team before taking a job as Fletcher's Special assistant. I didnt.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

John Leclair is the special advisor to hockey operations. What prior experience does he have? As cliff would say it would be public record.

Sharp is a special adviser to hockey operations. What prior experience does he have? As cliff would say it would be public record.

yes knew all about danny boy's past with maine.

This looks like a win for both teams. Yager may be a better fit with the Jets and the same for Rutger with the Pens.
- Minnyhock

Tough for the kid who got sent to Winnipeg. Actually, maybe he doesn't mind since he's from Saskatoon.

Would be hilarious if Anaheim had traded Gauthier to a Canadian team for a big haul.

This looks like a win for both teams. Yager may be a better fit with the Jets and the same for Rutger with the Pens.
- Minnyhock

And to see the potential of Cutter in a flyers jersey would have been fun. With Torts or without him.

Tough for the kid who got sent to Winnipeg. Actually, maybe he doesn't mind since he's from Saskatoon.

Would be hilarious if Anaheim had traded Gauthier to a Canadian team for a big haul.
- Feanor

He looks like a fit to me. He’s a RH center with more defensive awareness than Rutger. I could see him pushing Perfetti for 2C if Perfetti doesn’t ramp up his game.

And to see the potential of Cutter in a flyers jersey would have been fun. With Torts or without him.
- THE EVIL WITHIN

Wouldn't it be exciting to see both Michkov and Gauthier in a Flyers uniform this upcoming season? Gauthier would probably be sent to the AHL. Can't take Deslauriers or Hathaway out of the lineup.

He hasnt fallen in love with anyone. He simply plays people who deserve it in his mind. If Fost is not playing at his best, it doesnt matter how skilled you are, he will demote you. We saw it with Coots as well. He was of course hurt as well but I can guarantee you Coots will be back as the #1C this season as long as he plays at the level expected of him.

I have no issue with this as it demands your young players to put the work in and not take their position in the lineup for granted. Something someone like Dubois does. Poehling wasnt the #1 C because Torts loves him, it was because everyone else was just that bad. Guys like Coots, Frost and Even laughton are held to higher standards, as they should be. The better players should be better than your 4th line guy and that simply was not the case down the stretch.
- xShoot4WarAmpsx

That right there shows that he falls in love with certain types of players. Scott Laughton may look like he is great in Torts's mind, but by every metric and eye test he is one of the worst players in the NHL. Ya, he is great in the locker room. I guess he needs to be because he is a black hole on the ice where it should count.


Your Poehling opinion is objectively wrong. Poehling was getting caved in on the ice compared to all the other players you mentioned. He was out there because Torts fell in love with his style even if it is an abject failure on the ice. The stats tell me Torts has no idea what he is watching. He has blinders on for a certain type of attitude. Objective results be damned.

It's the same thing. The problem is the data and what's in his mind, are often at odds. He has favorites and he overlooks things with some players and not others. No coach is consistent in that regard but Tortorella takes it to an extreme.




The available evidence contradicts your opinion. It's exactly why Poehling was played as the 1C. He is the kind of player that he favors. It was a ridiculous coaching decision and had a big part in why they lost the game. It is exhibit A of the issue with Tortorella and why he is an awful coach for developing young players.
- MJL

I’m going to try a new thing and respond to you without attacking you.

My argument is he didn’t sit frost at the beginning of the game or for most of that must win game. Frost played. If he sat him from the get go I’d agree he’s playing favorites. But frost played and apparently didn’t show torts enough urgency (I understand urgency doesn’t have a stat column but no reason to be obtuse regarding something everyone can plainly see) He didn’t start the guy on the bench. If an entire game plays out, skill or not, I trust the coach to call an audible and play the guy he thinks is going there in that moment.

Frost isn’t known to be an aggressive player. He’s a perimeter player who sometimes gets too cute. In that point of the game, I don’t care how smooth your toe drag is… his style of play wasn’t needed for that point of the game. I don’t consider it “benching him” - it was a personnel call I agree with. Thats not “hating skilled players” - but cutesy toe drags and forcing passes isn’t the type of play needed there. Not a knock on frost by any means. Different situations call for different style players.

Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t believe coaches are being fed possession stats mid period. So if one guy looks like he’s skating hard and the other isn’t it’s not unfathomable to want to play the guy that’s got the motor going.

This came not long after he put frost out there in OT and he lacksidasically flubbed it and it ended up in the back of the net.

John Leclair is the special advisor to hockey operations. What prior experience does he have? As cliff would say it would be public record.

Sharp is a special adviser to hockey operations. What prior experience does he have? As cliff would say it would be public record.

yes knew all about danny boy's past with maine.
- hello it's me 2050

If you could explain to me what a Special Advisor does then I could answer the question. If it has to do with playing hockey on the ice then the answer is obvious. If it has to do with running a team, the answer is not so obvious.

No other team had interest in hiring Torts in 2022, but the Flyers still managed to outbid themselves to the tune of $16,000,000.
- Feanor

but he was added to the nations tournament?

No other team had interest in hiring Torts in 2022, but the Flyers still managed to outbid themselves to the tune of $16,000,000.
- Feanor

How did they outbid themselves? Torts gave them his salary demands, I am sure there was some negotiations, he was paid.

I really think this team will be a bottom 5 team this season. There will be a regression. I am going to go out on a limb and even say I think Tortarella is fired before the end of the season.

I really think this team will be a bottom 5 team this season. There will be a regression. I am going to go out on a limb and even say I think Tortarella is fired before the end of the season.
- J35Bacher

I won’t be surprised but I’m not going into the season thinking that. Drysdale and the goaltending are going to be the huge factors. Whether MM takes off or not, he will be better than Cam. I’m hopeful York has a big year and Drysdale and Errsson can progress positively. Not sure Torts gets fired mid season though.

If you could explain to me what a Special Advisor does then I could answer the question. If it has to do with playing hockey on the ice then the answer is obvious. If it has to do with running a team, the answer is not so obvious.
- MBFlyerfan

his original statment was:

"however they dont just just hire people because they know them, they also have the ability to do the job."

Well, that is just not true. Sam Morin Stewart Shultz are 3 others. Cement head hired 2 weeks after his retirement as a director of player development. All hired in diff capacities. What and where have they shown that they have the ability to do the job?

How did they outbid themselves? Torts gave them his salary demands, I am sure there was some negotiations, he was paid.
- WhiskeyMan

there were no other suitors for his services.