With the dismissal of John Tortorella as head coach, the Flyers are entering a new phase of their rebuild, and it might be the most important one.

The decision to fire Tortorella, made on March 27, was an interesting one, especially since it came with nine games left in the season. But general manager Daniel Briere “felt it was time” to make the move.

The Flyers were 1-10-1 in their final 12 games under Tortorella. The play was competitive at times. Ugly at others. On-ice results weren’t the main reason for Tortorella’s firing. It was a few things that led to the decision, per Briere, who hopes now is a turning point for the organization.

“I really hope that this is the bottom, this is rock bottom for us, today. And this is the turnaround,” Briere said.

After bottoming out, Briere feels the tides could be turning. The club is moving into a different phase of its rebuild.

“I hope moving forward, and I have the feeling that moving forward now, it’s going to start to get better,” said Briere. “… I feel we’re stepping into a different phase of the rebuild. It’s still a rebuild. But I feel it starting to go into a different phase now.”

Tortorella was a key part of the Flyers’ infrastructure. He didn’t just coach and teach the young guys while helping others improve their respective games. He was involved in roster decisions. He was part of the evaluation process. He helped set the culture.

Tortorella was important. Now, he’s gone. 

The next bench boss might be even more important than Tortorella. He’ll help the club navigate the next part of the rebuilding process.

Over the last two-plus years, the Flyers have shed unwanted contracts and players and traded veterans for key draft assets. The club has six first-round picks over the next three drafts, three of which come this year. They have seven picks in the first two rounds of the 2025 draft altogether. On top of the young players and prospects they currently have, even more are on the way.

That’s why the next head coach will be important. He’ll be tasked with teaching and guiding a young roster. A young roster that’ll be filled with players the Flyers will hope turn into stars and key veterans that form a cup-contending team years from now.

Being able to teach will be a key qualification when the Flyers start searching for a new head coach.

“I’m not sure exactly what we’re going to be looking for [in] a coach,” said Briere. “One thing I can tell you is: we have a young team. A coach that can teach is going to be important to start with.”

Of course, it won’t just be the next head coach under pressure to get things right. Briere and the president of hockey operations, Keith Jones, will be under pressure, too. They’ll be tasked with properly using the club’s draft assets.

How that looks is yet to be determined. They could keep all of their picks to draft prospects. Doing so would mean having to hit on those picks. Maybe they use a package of picks in a trade to acquire a young star. The former seems likeliest. Teams don’t just trade young stars away.

Either way, the Flyers have a chance to secure a top-five pick in June’s draft. But, wherever the pick falls, it won’t matter if the front office drafts the wrong guy. The same can be said about their other first- and second-round picks in 2025, 2026, and 2027.

It will all tie together. The front office will have to make the right selections. Then, the next head coach, and everyone else involved in the development process, will have to teach the players picked and forge them into good NHLers.

The entire process will take time. It won’t happen overnight. It’ll be a few years before we know if the decisions made this summer, and the couple of summers after that, are the right ones. But Briere, while urging patience, is excited for what’s to come.

“When I look at the team now, I feel good that those are the guys that will help us moving forward,” Briere said. “It’s a young team… The excitement of icing a young team, and the prospects that are coming, make it very exciting for me. And I’m not saying that next year we’ll take a huge step forward. It’s going to be small steps. The patience part is the hardest part of a rebuild.”

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