The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2024-25 season has been a disaster, and on Thursday, March 27, the team announced they’ve fired head coach John Tortorella, ending his three-year tenure with the franchise. With a record of 28-36-9, the Flyers have amassed just 65 points in 73 games, giving them the worst points percentage in the Eastern Conference at .445. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman initially reported that Tortorella had stepped down, but the Flyers’ official statement clarified that he was relieved of his duties, with associate coach Brad Shaw stepping in as interim head coach effective immediately.
Tortorella, in his 23rd season as an NHL head coach, leaves Philadelphia with a 97-107-33 record over three seasons, having failed to reach the playoffs each year. The 66-year-old, who won the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and earned two Jack Adams Awards (2004, 2017), had the Flyers in playoff contention last season—they were in position for a spot as late as April 5 but finished four points shy of the second Eastern wild card. This year, however, the team has spiraled, losing 11 of their last 12 games, including a 7-2 drubbing by the Toronto Maple Leafs on March 25. After that loss, Tortorella’s comments raised eyebrows: “This falls on me. I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now. But I have to do a better job.”
Those remarks, paired with the team’s dismal performance, seem to have sealed his fate. General Manager Daniel Briere, in a statement, called the decision “very difficult” but necessary, saying, “John played a vital role in our rebuild. He set a standard of play and re-established what it means to be a Philadelphia Flyer… As we move into the next chapter of this rebuild, I felt this was the best for our team to move forward.” The Flyers’ slide began after the trade deadline, where Briere shipped out top-nine forwards Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, and Scott Laughton, further depleting an already talent-thin roster. Rookie star Matvei Michkov has been a bright spot with 51 points in 71 games, but Tortorella’s tough-love approach—benching or scratching the young Russian—drew criticism from fans and media alike.
Brad Shaw, 60, takes over as interim coach, starting with tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens at Wells Fargo Center. Shaw, who joined the Flyers in 2022, previously served as an interim coach for the New York Islanders in 2005-06, going 18-18-4, and has a long history as an assistant with the St. Louis Blues, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Vancouver Canucks. If Shaw can spark the team in the final nine games, he might position himself for a full-time head coaching role—something he’s never held in the NHL.
The Flyers’ struggles go beyond Tortorella. Years of poor drafting and talent evaluation have left the roster thin, and the team has cycled through six coaches in 10 years before his hiring in 2022. Briere, who took over as GM in 2023, has embraced a full rebuild, a term the organization once avoided, but the lack of progress—coupled with goaltending issues and injuries—has fans restless. With 13 picks in the 2025 NHL Draft, including three first-rounders, the Flyers are poised for a high selection, but the immediate future looks bleak. Shaw’s task is to steady the ship, but the real question is who will lead the Flyers long-term—and whether they can finally break their playoff drought, now at five years and counting.
