The Daily Faceoff Show: Will Torchetti hire have an impact in Philadelphia?
If it’s felt like it’s been a year since the Philadelphia Flyers have not won a game, it isn’t entirely untrue.
As a result of a 3-1 loss to the Dallas Stars last night, the Flyers remain winless in 2022, having gone 0-10-2 since Dec. 29. This has dropped the Flyers to last place in the Metropolitan Division with a 13-21-8 record.
In an attempt to spark their team, the Flyers announced on Tuesday that they have hired John Torchetti as an assistant coach for the rest of the season. But after the club already fired head coach Alain Vigneault and assistant coach Michel Therrien in December, bringing in Torchetti to join interim head coach Mike Yeo – who he replaced with the Minnesota Wild back in 2016 when Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher held the same job in Minnesota – doesn’t necessarily inspire confidence that this is the move that will turn Philadelphia’s ship around.
On Tuesday’s episode of The Daily Faceoff Show, Frank Seravalli and Mike McKenna attempted to diagnose the problems in Philadelphia, as well as to opine on the addition of Torchetti.
McKenna: “I think a fresh set of eyes was necessary here in Philadelphia. They started the season with the three-headed dragon of head coaches between Yeo, Vigneault and Therrien there. And it just hasn’t worked.
“Are they the most disappointing team? You know, they may be. When you lose 10 in a row and then you back that up by losing 12 in a row later in the season, with some of the players they have on those contracts.
“I don’t think you can objectively look at the Flyers and say anyone other than Giroux and Atkinson have done their jobs this year – up to the level they’re used to for that standard.
“Part of it is roster construction. You lose Ryan Ellis and now nobody else can move the puck. Provorov is even having a tough year there. Yandle is great on the power play – 5-on-5 it hasn’t been there.
“They’re thin on the blue line, for a team that used to be really strong back there. They can’t move the puck from it. And the forwards just aren’t producing.
“The Blues couldn’t score under Mike Yeo. Flyers aren’t scoring underneath him. They’re not transitioning the puck quick enough. It’s time for a major overhaul in Philadelphia.
“And I think Torchetti’s at least a different set of eyes for the remainder of the season. And I think this summer, it’s going to be clean house time in Philadelphia.”
Seravalli: “I think the criticism from Flyers fan today is, John Torchetti, really? He was the same guy you brought in to replace Mike Yeo when Chuck Fletcher was in Minnesota in 2016. Some Flyers fans here look at it as more of the same. More Minnesota connections that are running through the organization that clearly, to this point, haven’t exactly paid off.
“Lots of decisions to make.
“You look back to the Rasmus Ristolainen trade. That certainly hasn’t worked out as well.
“The funny things is, you know everyone said all the whole offseason: ‘all we need to do is fix our goaltending and we’ll be a playoff team again.’ Shockingly, Carter Hart has actually, for the most part, held up his end of the bargain. He’s had a few clunker nights. But more often than not – and his stats show it – he has not been the problem here.”
You can watch the full episode here…