(Philadelphia) Before his job interview in spring 2022, John Tortorella did his homework. If he hoped to become head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, he needed to watch that team play.
It didn’t take him long to figure out what he thought was wrong.
“I don’t want to criticize those who came before me,” he warned Tuesday morning after his team’s training. A rare polite expression for this hater of white gloves. What did he see? Deficient defensive play, almost in disarray.
“We needed to better protect our goalkeeper and better understand our coverages,” he summarizes.
Last season, his first at the helm of the Flyers, he put his men to work. “Every damn day,” the emphasis was on this aspect of the game. “We did it, and did it, and did it again. »
It is clear that these efforts have borne fruit. To almost everyone’s surprise, at mid-campaign, the Flyers were in the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference. Even though they were promised the bottom of the rankings.
PHOTO DERIK HAMILTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Carter Hart and Travis Konecny
And what was the club’s great weakness suddenly made it successful. At five against five, the Philadelphians have so far managed to effectively limit the opposing team’s shots and scoring chances. Without being a strength of the circuit, the defensive machine does a completely honest job. A simple clue? The current differential of +4, a spectacular improvement compared to recent years (-38, -87 and -55, respectively, from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023), and a remarkable performance for an organization in reconstruction.
PHLY Sports reporter Charlie O’Connor recently illustrated the metamorphosis the defense has undergone under Tortorella and his assistant Brad Shaw. These have, according to him, transformed Rasmus Ristolainen “into a defensive defender capable of dictating the game”; Nick Seeler as a reliability monster who “swallows minutes in a top-4”; Sean Walker, whose salary the Kings wanted to shed, into an “above-average second-pair right-hander”; and Travis Sanheim “as the best version of himself yet.” That’s saying something.
This without forgetting Cam York, “who started last season in the American League and who today plays on the first duo,” recalls general manager Daniel Brière. The latter also praises the brilliance of his goalkeepers Carter Hart and Samuel Ersson.
PHOTO DERIK HAMILTON, ASSOCIATED PRESS ARCHIVES
Sean Couturier
Everyone got on board. ”Torts” has certain expectations defensively: if you don’t play the right way, you just won’t play. The guys have no choice but to contribute.
Sean Couturier
“It’s fun to watch,” says Carter Hart. The guys are doing a good job in front of the net, taking the sticks out of the shooting lines. We have a lot of talented players who can make plays, cause things. »
The goalkeeper is especially amazed by the “bravery” of the defenders in front of him like rarely before. “It shows how much they care about the team. »
Renaissance
Another element which should certainly not be neglected, and which the CEO identified among the success factors: the return of Sean Couturier.
Two back surgeries cost the center player the majority of the 2021-2022 season and all of 2022-2023. At 31, finally healthy, he didn’t want to “just be a player who comes back from an injury to finish his career and his contract.”
“I wanted to get back to the level I was at, if not better,” he explained Tuesday in the Flyers locker room. I think I still have many good years ahead of me. »
Even though he feels like his hands “aren’t quite there yet,” this former Selka Trophy winner has visibly regained most of his bearings. He is his club’s most used forward (almost 20 minutes per game), and he has amassed 27 points in 38 games while maintaining a +9 rating.
True to his style, Tortorella did not hold back by admitting that Couturier was not his favorite last year. When he heard about him, it was because he complained about being unable to play. However, the coach today feels “a different respect” for his veteran. He is impressed by the “intangible” elements of his game. “I’m really happy,” concluded the pilot.
Regardless, defensive success has slipped a bit recently, and the results have been affected: evidenced by the 2-3-3 record over the last nine games.
“We were a little more messy,” noted Tortorella, who wants his flock to tighten up their game in their territory. This return to basics will represent a good time for newcomer Jamie Drysdale to familiarize himself with the zone coverage favored by the Flyers.
The important thing, above all, is not to take anything for granted.
“The hardest part of the season is coming,” predicted Sean Couturier. The more the year progresses, the more the big clubs emerge. It’s time to show what kind of team we are. »
It will start this Wednesday evening, at home, against the Canadian.