Rick Tocchet says the Flyers’ ‘untapped talent’ and managerial ‘stability’ excite him as a coach

The fanfare was out on Friday morning at the Wells Fargo Center as the Flyers welcomed Rick Tocchet back to the fold.

Officially introduced as the 25th head coach in the organization’s history in front of alumni, 400 season ticketholders, the entire staff, and the media, he sat on a podium in a black Flyers long-sleeved quarter-zip atop the same floor he once skated on as a player.

But the Flyers Hall of Famer wasn’t brought in because of his deep-rooted ties to the organization. According to general manager Danny Brière, it was more about getting boxes checked and not deviating from the road that is being paved.

» READ MORE: Hiring Rick Tocchet shows the Flyers know who they are and how far they have to go.

“The one thing I want to make clear is the fact that the plan doesn’t change here,” he said. “Rick has been part of this before, has coached some younger teams, has coached some veteran teams. We see him as the long-term solution for our head coaching position.”

Although the Flyers may be in a rebuild, the door to Year 3 has now been thrust open with Tocchet walking through. Brière said the plan is to “start adding players” instead of subtracting, like they have the last two seasons. It was part of the attraction for Tocchet to once again drive across the Walt Whitman Bridge like he did as a 19-year-old.

“There are a lot of draft picks, there are a lot of prospects, untapped talent. The stability, obviously, in ownership. I walked around that practice facility [in Voorhees], I walked around here, inside the bowels, there are so many tools to work with. The practice rink has three sheets of ice; as a coach you’re like, oh my God,” said Tocchet, who reportedly left the Vancouver Canucks in part because of a lack of a practice facility.

“These are the things you want as a coach. Those are attractive things for a coach, to help me be an even better coach. I can’t speak for the past; all I know is what I see now, the relationship with the people that I deal with now, and it excites me.”

Here are three more takeaways from Tocchet’s reintroduction to Philly.

There’s no denying the connection Tocchet has to the fanbase — he was already booing Pittsburgh during his press conference — but Brière was adamant that his history with himself and team president Keith Jones, two guys Tocchet played with, and the organization was not a decisive factor.

“It’s a nice add-on, it’s a nice plus that he’s played here, that he shed blood for this organization, that he has a connection to the fans. Those are all pluses,” he said. “But going into it, to me, that’s not what was going to sway me one way or the other. I wanted the best coach available and one of the top coaches in the NHL, and that’s what I feel that he is.”

The process was more about selling the Flyers to Tocchet as opposed to Tocchet selling himself as the guy. Tocchet was one of several coaches the Flyers spoke with for the job, with seven getting in-depth interviews.

“As a Philadelphian, and as a Flyers fan, it’s really exciting to have Rick Tocchet back,” Flyers governor and chairman Dan Hilferty said. “But the selection process was more about fit and someone who could stay here and see the rest of this rebuild through, educate players, work with players, support players. And help Danny and Keith think about the pieces we need to bring in and then mold it into, as I’ve said consistently, a perennial contender.”

“It was not like, oh, you know, the Flyers called me, I want to take the Flyers job. We had to convince him and go through our roster and show him more than we show you guys [the media] on where we’re headed,” Jones said. “Thankfully, he bought into what we were telling him and saw where our vision was, and wants to be a part of it.”

Tocchet went through the process like everyone else, including Brad Shaw, the interim coach after John Tortorella was fired on March 27. Shaw informed the organization on Thursday that he would not be returning as the associate coach under Tocchet.

» READ MORE: https://www.sinomn.com/flyers/flyers-rick-tocchet-misconception-former-players-coaches-20250515.html

“He was strongly considered all the way to the end. It was tough. He did a good job,” Brière said. “We had the chance to get Rick Tocchet. It’s nothing against Brad Shaw. We felt Rick Tocchet checked all the boxes for us. Really appreciative of what Brad has done. He’s helped a lot of our young guys, on defense especially.

“He was considered. He called me yesterday and said he didn’t feel like he could fully invest himself, going through the process again to see if he would be part of the staff moving forward. So I totally understand and respect that, and we wish him the best. And if teams reach out to us, he’s going to get a really positive review from our end.”

Speaking of boxes, Brière said at his end-of-season press conference that he had two big ones he needed to check off: a strong communicator and teacher. The general manager feels, after speaking with players and coaches around the league, he’s found his man.

“I think when a player walks in that door, practice rink or this facility, they want trust, right? And they want accountability, obviously, and they want to feel safe, right? The world we live in now, there is a lot of outside noise, and it can affect players,” Tocchet said.

“So, my job is to create a safe environment for those guys, where they can feel that as soon as they hit those doors, that they are taken care of. We’re going to help them as much as possible and partner up with them. Getting trust from the players is something from day one, my goal is to make sure that players trust me.”

Former Flyer Wes Walz, who coached with Tocchet in Tampa Bay, recently said that Tocchet makes “you feel like you’re the most important thing” when speaking to you. It’s a huge step in the right direction for players who felt they weren’t heard the past three seasons. According to Jones, Tocchet has already spoken with captain Sean Couturier, who said in April he felt he was “getting pushed aside” by Tortorella.

Now that he’s officially here, Tocchet is already hyper-focused on what’s next.

He knows there is untapped talent on the Flyers, which also includes giving guys a longer rope to be leaders. He knows the power play “is a sore point,” and he has “some thoughts on it.” And he is already impressed with rising star Matvei Michkov.

“[Michkov’s] got a high-level brain, so hopefully I can learn from him and help him. ... From talking to Jonesy and Danny, he wants to be the best,” said Tocchet. “That’s a good head start right there, that I get a guy like that. He wants to be the best, and he’s willing to do whatever, and that’s what it’s going to take. So I’m very privileged to be able to coach a guy that high-level of. ... I know the fans already love him here, so can’t wait to see what happens in the next five years with this guy.”

» READ MORE: Rick Tocchet reactions: Some Flyers fans ‘hate the idea’ of an ex-player as coach; others call it a no-brainer

But there is no denying that having someone like Tocchet, a guy NHL stars like Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos, and Quinn Hughes have credited with not only elevating their games but making them want to run through a brick wall for him, adds to an organization looking to turn things around and become a destination for free agents again.

“There’s no doubt that Rick is going to make us more enticing for players to come here. There’s no doubt about that. There’s already agents calling and letting us know that,” Brière said. “And that’s kudos to him for the relationship that he’s built and the reputation that he’s built over the years. It’s so positive in that regard that there’s no doubt in my mind that, yes, it’s going to make us more of an attractive team to join.”

As noted earlier this week, Matvei Michkov was recently involved in a car accident in Dubai. There has been speculation involving stolen passports and extortion, but according to Brière, who has been in communication with his agent and the NHL, “There’s no foul play. It was a little brush-up. As far as we know, yeah, [he’s OK]. Nothing happened to him or his friend. ... Nothing involved that could get him in trouble. Apparently, from what we’ve learned is that, they lost control of the vehicle, hit the wall and and there’s nothing more to it. So hopefully that’s the real story.” ... Brière said talks are ongoing with the Flyers’ restricted free agents Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster, Cam York, and Jakob Pelletier. “We’re working towards it with all of our guys, and there’s still lots of time along the way. We hope to find resolution.” The GM would not comment on the Daily Faceoff report that the team is headed to arbitration with Cates. ... The Flyers announced on Thursday that they signed forwards Oscar Eklind and Rodrigo Ābols to one-year extensions. According to PuckPedia, they are each for $800,000. … Flyers prospects Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and London of the Ontario Hockey League advanced to the Memorial Cup on Thursday night. Barkey returned to the Knights’ lineup on Thursday after sustaining a lower-body injury in the previous round. ... Former Flyer Sam Gagner announced his retirement Friday. He notched 16 points in 53 games for the Orange and Black in 2015-16.