May 14, 2025
Bob Frid/Imagn Images
Rick Tocchet spent 11 years as a player in Philadelphia across two stints.
Rick Tocchet is coming back to Philadelphia, this time to be the Flyers' next head coach.
The Flyers made the deal official Wednesday afternoon, after the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli and various other outlets reported earlier in the day that the two parties were closing in on an agreement.
Tocchet, who was a fan-favorite player across 11 years and two stints in Philly throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, will now be tasked with leading the current era of the Flyers back toward annual Stanley Cup contention.
“I’ve always been a Flyer at heart and have taken that passion and energy that embodies this city and organization with me throughout my career,” Tocchet said in a statement released by the team. “I want to thank [general manager Danny Brière], president of hockey operations Keith Jones] and [Flyers governor Dan Hilferty] for this honor and opportunity. I couldn’t be more excited to lead this team back among the NHL elite where we belong. We have a lot of work to do and much to accomplish, but I am confident in the direction we are heading and determined to get us there.”
🔶 WELCOME HOME, TOCC! 🔶
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 14, 2025
We’re proud to announce that Rick Tocchet has been named the 25th head coach in franchise history. https://t.co/pY0ljNFtoq
Tocchet, 61, will be starting with a young Flyers roster that is only expected to get younger, and with a few key pieces in place already, like rising star Matvei Michkov, breakout winger Tyson Foerster, and pre-established vets Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny. But the team is still at a lack of roster depth, elite talent at center, a clear answer in goal, and right now, it's waiting on a handful of notable prospects to turn pro – from Oliver Bonk to Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, Alex Bump, Hunter McDonald, and so on.
However, the Flyers know for sure now who they'll have behind their bench, and just ahead of a pivotal summer for Brière's rebuild.
The NHL Draft is a bit more than a month away, and the Flyers are approaching it holding the No. 6 overall pick, the Oilers' and the Avalanche's first-rounders later on in the order, and 11 picks in total.
They'll also have a bit of money to work with in free agency right after, thanks to offloading Joel Farabee's contract in the late-January trade with Calgary, and ahead of more cash opening up under the cap the summer after.
The Flyers are slowly but surely being lined up for success, but now Tocchet will be coming in to help further develop the youth that's there now so they can really take the leap when the time comes.
“I am very happy to welcome Rick Tocchet as our head coach,” Brière said in a statement. “During this process it became clear that Rick was the absolute right coach to lead our team. He has enjoyed the highest level of success both as a player and coach. Rick’s ability to teach and understand his players, combined with his passion for winning, brings out the best in young players at different stages of their development and has earned the respect and confidence of highly talented All-Stars and veteran players alike.”
The height of Tocchet's coaching career so far was when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant coach during their run to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. He was instrumental in forming their offensive structure and power play around Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Phil Kessel, and then a young Jake Guentzel at the time, which are both aspects of the Flyers' game that they sorely need help with now.
As a head coach, Tocchet's had runs with the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008-2010, the Arizona Coyotes from 2017-2021, and for the Vancouver Canucks from 2023 up until this past season, when he opted to step away from the Canucks after a tumultuous season organizationally, and with curious wording from their president of hockey ops Jim Rutherford leading up to the decision knowing that the Flyers job was available.
"We don't feel it's right to have somebody here that may have his mind somewhere else," Rutherford said last month, via ESPN. "I'd say that about anybody. This is not just about Toc. We believe that -- and I believe that -- Toc and his coaching staff did as good a job coaching this team this year as they did the year before when he was coach of the year."
It didn't take much for Flyers fans to start connecting the dots, but not without apprehension either.
Tocchet is a former Flyer, Brière is a former Flyer, and so is Jones.
Fans, after seeing the team fall into an apathetic spiral through much of the past decade, grew desperate for new, and better, but carried concern, and still do in many respects, that keeping the organization so insular with Flyers alumni will only leave it stuck in the exact same spot.
Brière, Jones, and Hilferty at the top, however, believe the current approach has a strong enough culture and enough forward-thinking to prove otherwise.
Tocchet's hiring and handling of the team from here on out, though, will be a crucial test in proving that belief to be true.
“From the first conversation I had with Rick, it struck me on how deeply he cares about the Philadelphia Flyers, our city and the fans,” Hilferty said in a statement. “Rick’s track record speaks for itself. He has not only been successful at different stages of his career, but he has a way of connecting with his players and staff. I strongly believe that he is the ideal person to unite and lead us towards our ultimate goal of building this team into a perennial contender again.”
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