Early strain or a rebuild? Tortorella says Flyers are ‘higher than this'

Early pressure or a rebuild? Tortorella says Flyers are ‘better than this’ initially appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

VOORHEES, N.J. — Possibly an early-season slide was par for the course.

Possibly the Flyers had been destined for some lumps.

In spite of everything, the group is not touting itself as a contender. It hasn’t publicly set the playoffs as an expectation. It had one other future-centric offseason and was tied for the third-youngest roster within the NHL to open the 2024-25 season.

However ought to the Flyers actually be 1-5-1 and already on a six-game shedding streak? Particularly after they wish to be aggressive and get higher annually?

Regardless that John Tortorella has always been hellbent on not putting the cart before the horse, he is aware of the Flyers’ begin cannot merely be chalked as much as part of the method.

“We’re younger, we’re rebuilding, we’re going to take some intestine punches,” the top coach stated Friday. “However we’re higher than this. Straightforward. We’ll get slapped round somewhat bit right here. We’re. We’re simply younger.”

Final season, the Flyers stunned many by placing themselves within the playoff race all the way in which as much as Recreation 82. They lost their No. 1 goalie in January and one of their better defensemen at the March trade deadline, which undeniably harm their possibilities. The Flyers dropped 19 of their final 28 video games (9-14-5) to overlook the postseason.

“I am undecided, did we overachieve final yr?” Tortorella stated. “[Sean] Walker’s gone, a lot of completely different conditions, the entire goaltending scenario. Let’s face it, we have a goaltending situation.”

To the Flyers’ credit score, they have not disregarded the longer term of their plan.

“We’ve been very clear,” Tortorella stated. “Two years — this yr and subsequent yr — we’re not bringing in free brokers. We’ve to develop our children.”

Two weeks in the past, the Flyers had 12 gamers 25 years outdated or youthful of their opening evening lineup. Three of these gamers — Owen Tippett, Joel Farabee and Tyson Foerster — mixed for 70 objectives final season. This season, they’ve mixed for 3 up to now. And so they’re not the one gamers who’ve underperformed.

“The place we’re at as a workforce proper now, and it falls on the teaching employees and gamers, our children have gotten to play higher, [the ones] that performed final yr,” Tortorella stated. “Tip’s obtained to play higher, Tyson’s obtained to play higher. We’re hoping for them to not simply get to their sport final yr, however get higher this yr. That is how we survive. However we will get punched, we’re. There is no query about it. However we’re not as dangerous as this.”

Tortorella’s membership has an vital back-to-back set this weekend on the Wells Fargo Middle. It begins with a troublesome take a look at Saturday in opposition to the Wild (1 p.m. ET/NBCSP), a workforce that’s 5-0-2 and has gained 4 straight, all on the street.

The Flyers are coming off a 6-3 loss Wednesday to the Capitals. However there was a doable turning level after they outplayed Washington over the second half of the sport, rallying from a 4-0 deficit and nearly tying the game at 4-4. Their offense got here to life and so they badly wanted that. We’ll see if it carries over to the weekend.

“I believe we have to begin from the puck drop,” Sean Couturier stated. “It is perhaps somewhat simpler to play when there is no strain and also you’re down three and you’ll simply go exhausting and never fear about errors. However that is one thing we’ll should study to handle and be higher from the beginning.”

This was not the beginning Tortorella envisioned for 12 months 3 of his tenure with the Flyers. Even in a rebuild.

“All I do know is we’re higher than we’re enjoying proper now,” he stated. “We will carve it up any means you need, the No. 1 precedence for me proper now with this hockey membership is to play higher than our final sport. After which play higher than that sport. After which hopefully attempt to be a part of collectively right here and be constant. It is so magnified as a result of it began proper firstly of the yr. That is one thing we’re combating right here, too.”