It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re nearing the start of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, teams that missed out are still getting plenty of attention. Teams that didn’t make it are going to have to make some changes in all spots. Bringing in and moving out players usually gets the focus. However, coaching changes are often made to try and steer the franchise in the right direction.
One team that’s in the market for a new head coach is the Philadelphia Flyers . This edition of NHL rumours deals with who is a possible candidate to get the post.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
A Look at the Philadelphia Flyers Head Coach Search
Rumour: A number of insiders weighed in on the status of the Flyers head coaching search. Brad Shaw finished the season as the interim coach after the dismissal of John Tortorella.
Analysis: The rival New York Rangers took a possible candidate off the board with the hiring of Mike Sullivan on Friday. Sullivan had been mentioned by Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia as a possible candidate. However, Sullivan has been scratched off the list.
One of the main names on the list if former Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet . He has a history with the Flyers after beginning and ending his career with the franchise. A reunion with Tocchet seems like it would make plenty of sense. Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned on Donnie and Dhali show that Tocchet would either be coaching Vancouver or Philadelphia.
However, another one of Tocchet’s former teams has a head coaching vacancy. The Pittsburgh Penguins let go of Sullivan and general manager Kyle Dubas could fill that opening with Tocchet.
Pittsburgh’s roster seems a little more readymade for contention with Sidney Crosby , Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang . It could be a tough choice for Tocchet.
We could also see Shaw get some consideration to have the interim tag removed. Philadelphia seemed to play a little looser when general manager Daniel Briere made the change late in the season.
A New Name Emerges
However, the Flyers could go in a different direction. ESPN insider and former NHL goalie Kevin Weekes reported that Pat Ferschweiler of Western Michigan interviewed with the Flyers.
Ferschweiler was the head coach of highly-regarded Alex Bump and could reunite with him if hired. He’s coming off getting the Broncos their first NCAA Division I championship in program history.
In previous editions of NHL rumours , we’ve mentioned coaches like Denver University’s David Carle getting some interest. However, this is the first time that Ferschweiler has been mentioned.
The coach als0 played at WMU with Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones . That connection could get Ferschweiler on the shortlist of candidates. However, there are concerns about him being inexperienced as a head coach at the NHL level.
We’ll see what direction the head coach search takes. However, the speculation will continue until the position is filled.
Main photo by: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
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