John Tortorella laments Flyers’ collapse, missing playoffs

VOORHEES, N.J. — Put these playoff plans on maintain, Flyers followers.

And not simply this season.

Philadelphia is caught on the skin of the postseason for the fourth straight yr after its destiny was determined in Game 82. The Flyers’ acceleration from anticipated painful rebuild to the cusp of the playoffs was quicker than anticipated — particularly amongst these whose opinions matter most, coach John Tortorella and normal supervisor Danny Briere — which made the late-season free fall all of the extra puzzling and gut-wrenching.

As far as subsequent season? Even then, the playoffs aren’t essentially a benchmark within the course of.

“We are a ways away,” Tortorella stated Friday. “We have so much work to do with this team. There are holes in the team. It’s going to take more time.”

Added Briere: “I know the expectation next year will be, oh, we’ve got to get in the playoffs. I don’t even know that we’re there yet. It was a great year. But there’s still a long ways to go.”

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The actuality is, preaching endurance over playoffs has been the long-term blueprint in Philadelphia since Briere took over late final season. This season — which ended when the Flyers have been eradicated final week within the last recreation of the season — was extra about discovering which of the younger core are price creating because the staff grows into an Eastern Conference contender.

Tyson Foerster. Cam York. Owen Tippett. Morgan Frost. Samuel Ersson.

Not a foul begin. Just not sufficient to chase a Stanley Cup.

“I think we still need to add talent to our team,” Tortorella stated.

Pushing 66, Tortorella stated he is “as energized as I’ve ever been, already thinking about next year” and can return to the bench to do his half to see the rebuild via.

“I am totally in,” Tortorella stated, “until Danny says, ‘Get the hell out of here.'”

Not an opportunity.

Briere championed the job Tortorella did this season as he guided the Flyers to the final recreation of the season with significant hockey to play. The Flyers have been extensively predicted by specialists, followers and oddsmakers to complete close to the underside of the NHL. In his second season on the bench, Tortorella as a substitute squeezed each ounce of expertise and grit he might out of his gamers to thrust them right into a playoff race.

For a lot of the season, the Flyers not solely performed over their heads, they succeeded whereas navigating the lack of No. 1 goalie Carter Hart, who was charged with sexual assault, and the murky circumstances that led to 2022 No. 1 draft choose Cutter Gauthier forcing a commerce.

Yet the tip was so crushing as a result of a playoff berth was in hand till an eight-game shedding streak that bridged March and April, which proved the demise knell for his or her season.

Tortorella largely took the blame for the collapse.

“I couldn’t get the team to close the deal,” Tortorella stated. “It was a concern of mine, 25 games left or so in the season, can we stay with it? I think it’s my job to get it to the end. I think the team played hard right to the end. I just did not close the deal.”

But why? The solutions are considerably apparent on the floor. Ersson went from backup goalie to common starter and light down the stretch beneath the stress of heavy minutes. The staff ran out of fuel after a rugged early March schedule in opposition to a number of the prime groups within the NHL. Perhaps a notoriously prickly Tortorella pushed his gamers previous the purpose the place they might produce greater than what he anticipated out of them.

“I’ve made some mistakes this year,” Tortorella stated, “not the ones you may think I did.”

Arguably the largest mistake was benching Sean Couturier solely 34 days after he was named staff captain.

Only these contained in the locker room know the true penalties of Tortorella’s alternative in mid-March to make a such a daring and controversial name. But Tortorella fielded a number of questions and wanted almost 10 minutes to defend himself Friday — and stood by his resolution.

While Tortorella admitted the timing wasn’t nice, he added, “the captaincy’s not going to stop me from holding people accountable.”

Couturier stated on the time he was “frustrated with the way I’ve been treated” and his agent referred to as out the franchise for a scarcity of communication.

Tortorella stated Friday the criticism “kind of caught me off guard, a little bit” however defended his type contained in the locker room and insisted his gamers all the time know the place they stand with the teaching workers. Tortorella additionally blasted agent Erik Lupien calling him, “a little piss-ant out there pounding his chest that really doesn’t know what’s going on between Sean and I.”

“I think it turned into a bunch of drama,” Tortorella stated.

Torts? Drama? Who, him?

“You’ve got the wrong coach here then if we’re going to be hugging,” Tortorella stated.

Tortorella, who gained a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay in 2004, brandished his repute as a fiery, no-nonsense coach on a staff nonetheless principally stuffed with younger 20-somethings discovering their means within the NHL. Briere has Tortorella’s again — and the coach appears to have the support of the locker room that largely expects him to return subsequent yr.

With the twelfth choose within the draft, there’s little expectation of getting an influence participant, and the Flyers are principally taking a look at low cost, short-term offers — such because the one-year, cap-friendly deal given final yr to Marc Staal — for veteran assist.

“I still think there’s more that we need to do before we can take that next step and start pushing the envelope, taking some risks a little bit more,” Briere stated. “I still think we’re at a stage where we need to think about the future, we need to build the right way to give us the best chance to be serious contenders for years to come and not just for a year or two.”