EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsRick Tocchet isn't just the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers. He is a Philadelphia Flyer."I bleed orange and black," said Tocchet, who was hired as Flyers coach last summer after playing 621 games with Philly during his 21-season career as a rugged NHL winger. "I love this city. I know what the city's about, having played here. Obviously, you've got to have thick skin."So, Tocchet didn't flinch when fans were critical of how he chose to deploy young star Matvei Michkov, as well as the coach's comments about his conditioning. "Matvei did not come into camp in shape, and it's hard to play yourself into shape," Tocchet said in February.He wasn't concerned with the critiques that the Flyers don't generate enough offensive chances. He shook off digs that his rigid system wasn't aesthetically pleasing. There's an online petition called "Fire Rick Tocchet" that claims he's incapable of "developing young talent, preparing a team during the rigors of a season, roster management and keeping healthy player-coach relationships."He's a Flyer. He gets it."If I've got a guy saying that he hopes Rick Tocchet drives his car off a bridge, I'm not going to change because a guy says that," the coach said. "I've been in the league 40 years. I'm just who I am. You've got people that want you fired already. I've heard it before. So why let it affect you?"Through all that condemnation, Tocchet has helped guide the Flyers to surprising success this season, a rebuilding team on the cusp of a postseason berth, which would be the franchise's first since 2020.The Flyers enter Saturday's action in third place in the Metro Division, having 92 points in 79 games. They control their playoff destiny in these last three games -- at Winnipeg, and then Carolina and Montreal at home -- holding a one-point lead over the New York Islanders and a two-point lead over the Columbus Blue Jackets for that last divisional slot. If the Flyers slip to the wild card, it gets a little more complicated, but overall, Stathletes gives Tocchet's team a 49.8% chance of making the cut."We expected to be competitive. Maybe a little better than I expected, to be honest with you. But I expected us to be competitive," GM Daniel Briere said earlier this season. "It doesn't change the vision. It doesn't change what we're trying to do. It's still about the future."WHEN TOCCHET TOOK the Flyers' job, his focus was on Philadelphia's long-term planning and a young foundation rather than a return to the postseason in Year 1."I didn't think playoffs. I honestly was trying to ... I know it's the most overused word in hockey, but the 'culture' part. What it is to be a Flyer," he said. "That was my biggest thing. I lived here, I played here. I knew what it was to be a Flyer, and I wanted to see if I could be part of the solution for identifying what being a Flyer is, if that makes any sense."The franchise's path to getting back to the "Flyer Way" has been to populate the hockey operations department with as many ex-Flyers as possible. Chairman Daniel Hilferty has overseen Keith Jones as team president; Briere as general manager; John LeClair and Patrick Sharp as special advisors; and Tocchet as head coach. Former players such as Mark Recchi and Wayne Simmonds have been around, too."It's unbelievable support and unwavering. When you have it, that makes you feel more comfortable in your decisions," Tocchet said. "They let me coach the team, but I'd be an idiot not to ask their opinion."The coach said the team has "chipped away" at playing to that identity. He has enjoyed watching players such as winger Owen Tippett and defenseman Jamie Drysdale passing down what they learned to a star rookie such as Porter Martone, who was the sixth pick in 2025 and went from being a Michigan State freshman to having an immediate impact on the Flyers this season; Martone has six points in six games, including two goals."They're just passing it down and trying to build that foundation," Tocchet said. "I feel the guys are playing for the crest. It's not about one individual. You're going to go through the bumps and bruises to get there."On Jan. 8, the Flyers were 22-12-8. They went 3-8-3 until the Olympic break, leaving them eight points out of a playoff spot as the hockey action shifted to Milan Cortina."Oh, I think we needed a break. [Dan Vladar] going down didn't help," Tocchet said.Vladar missed six games in January for the Flyers. That might not seem like a lot, but it was momentous for Philadelphia because Vladar, 28, has been its MVP this season. The Flyers had the NHL's worst goaltending last season, with a team save percentage of .872. They're up to 24th this season thanks to Vladar, who is 27-14-7 with a .904 save percentage after arriving from the Calgary Flames as a free agent."When he left Calgary, I think he made a conscious effort to work on some things that summer: the physical and mental aspect of it. It's his consistency, the bounce back that if he had a tough night, then he just bounces back the next game," Tocchet said. "He doesn't wear an 'A' or a 'C,' but he is one of the leaders."Since the Olympic break, the Flyers have been a different team, owning the league's seventh-best points percentage (.674) in its past 23 games.Tocchet made some changes to the Flyers' defensive system to reduce the decision-making for his young team. The Flyers were 17th in 5-on-5 defense before the Olympic break. They were second in goals against per 60 minutes (1.68) and expected goals against (2.23) in the first 23 games after the Olympic break.The Flyers also turned around one of their most embarrassing metrics of the season: giving up the first goal of the game. Before the break, they gave up the first goal in 37 of 56 games (66%), and after the Olympics, it was down to 12 times in 23 games (52%).The Flyers started the season with the fourth-youngest roster in the NHL. Tocchet said those slow starts were a byproduct of that."You're a young guy. You've never played in Edmonton in their building. You've never gone into Madison Square Garden. So, you're wide-eyed and bushy-tailed and you're like, 'What's going on here?'" he said. "It was a bit of a problem. But on the flip side, we were one of the better teams in comeback wins."There's no denying the young Flyers have shown a tantalizing glimpse of the future. Forwards Tippett and Noah Cates, who has had an outstanding defensive season, are 26. Tyson Foerster (24), Trevor Zegras (24), Drysdale (23), Alex Bump (22), Michkov (21), Denver Barkey (20) and Martone (19) are all contributing now.Tocchet loves what some of them give him off the ice, too.Foerster has been a key for the Flyers. The fourth-year winger has dealt with injury concerns this season, but the Flyers are 15-9-2 when he has played. Tocchet said he's a key player for the team's chemistry."It's a very close-knit team. One of the closest I've ever seen," Tocchet said. "It reminds me back in the day when I played, and Tyson's one of those guys that leads the charge. He's just a really humble kid."OUTSIDE OF MICHKOV, no Flyer has garnered more attention this season than Zegras. He arrived in a trade from the Anaheim Ducks, seeking to recapture the magic as one of the NHL's most dynamic young forwards. He's second (66 points) behind Travis Konecny (67) in team scoring, and third in goals (25).Tocchet and Zegras developed an offseason plan to make him the effective center he has wanted to become in the NHL. "I wanted him to learn the game without the puck. We know what he can do with it. And he embraced that," the coach said.Zegras played the wing and then played a "hybrid" center/wing position. Once Tocchet was satisfied with his game and his confidence, and after the deadline trade of Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild meant tweaking their lineup, Zegras was shifted back to center, where he has played well."The main thing is he bought into it. He's all on board. Just a pleasure to coach," Tocchet said.He has also been one of the team's locker room jesters -- sometimes at the expense of his coach."He's really good at just reading the room, and he's not afraid to give it to me in front of the guys, in a respectful way. I love that. You've got to have that. After a loss, we don't all have to bury our heads in the sand where nobody talks to each other. He'll have a smile on his face and be like, 'OK, Taco, let's get to work,'" Tocchet said, referring to Zegras' nickname for him.The Flyers have gotten to work in the stretch run of the season."The vibe's high. We're feeling good in the locker room. We're confident," Drysdale said. "Everyone has the same goal, which is to get in. So, we're all playing for each other."But as the playoff pressure builds, the Flyers' inexperience can still catch up with them. Tocchet called out his team's lack of discipline in a 6-3 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday that damaged their playoff aspirations. But he was quick to add that it's ultimately another learning experience."Huge lesson. Honestly, I'd rather us get whipped than lose by one. Hopefully, they understand what it takes in these situations," he said. "We've got to move by it. It's no different than when you're in the playoffs and you lose. It's a war of attrition."Tocchet has been careful not to overwhelm his players with playoff pressure, concerned that it might force them to play tight in the Flyers' critical remaining games. But he knows what a postseason appearance can do for his roster and the velocity of the team's rebuild."To make the playoffs, to be in a seven-game series ... for the young guys to feel the way those games are and then in the summer after they've lived it, asking, 'What do I have to do to make sure I'm ready for it again?' is just huge," he said.It might even be enough to quiet a few critics, too.
