Source: Flyers associate coach Brad Shaw will not return under Rick Tocchet

The decision was reportedly Shaw’s.

The Flyers were hoping that Shaw would consider returning as an assistant.Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

Published May 15, 2025, 8:27 p.m. ET

Brad Shaw has decided it’s time to move on.

The news, which a source confirmed to The Inquirer, comes a day after Rick Tocchet was named the Flyers’ 25 th head coach, a job that Shaw, the team’s most recent interim boss, was reportedly a finalist for. PHLY was the first to report that Shaw, 61, is leaving the organization.

After John Tortorella was fired on March 27, Shaw took over the top job on an interim basis and led the Flyers to a 5-3-1 record to finish out the season. Under his guidance, the players consistently said they felt freer on the ice, and there was a notable boost to the team’s offense. General manager Danny Brière said at his end-of-season interview that Shaw had earned a look and would be considered for the team’s head coaching vacancy.

Prior to Tortorella’s firing, Shaw served as the team’s associate coach, and oversaw the defense and penalty kill. Across his three seasons running it, the Flyers’ PK ranked 17th in the NHL (78.7%) and third in shorthanded goals (31). The Flyers’ penalty kill was No. 1 in the league at one point during 2023-24, and it finished the season ranked fourth (83.4%) with an NHL-best 16 shorthanded goals.

And when it came to his blueliners, several credited Shaw, a former NHL defenseman himself, for elevating their games.

“He has meant so much to my game personally,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said at his end-of-season press conference. “I think a lot of guys on the D core could probably say the same thing. … I’m just super thankful for where he has taken my game, and I really enjoyed my time working with him.”

It is a bit surprising that Shaw has decided to leave the organization after stating he would potentially be interested in returning even if he did not get the top gig.

“I got three years invested in this defense core, and a lot of the main players that I feel like I have good relationships with. I think from that point of view, I think that continuity has a big value,” he said on April 18. “I’ve enjoyed my time here. I’ve enjoyed how I’ve been treated and how my family’s been treated. It’s been fantastic. So, yeah, I would definitely consider that.”

Now it’s time to get going for Shaw, who has coached pro hockey for 30 years. But what lies ahead, no one knows. Shaw has said he enjoyed his time as a bench boss again; he went 18-18-4 as the interim coach for the New York Islanders in 2005-06.

There are still four coaching spots open in the NHL: the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Seattle Kraken, and Pittsburgh Penguins.