John Tortorella Goes All-In With His Credibility

As the Flyers sputter and fail in the wake of a bubonic plague that has struck the defense core which once played a large role in their early success, John Tortorella has become truly desperate. He’s mustered up one more gambit that… in truth… feels more like a dying gasp than a tangible plan that may realistically generate results.

The logic behind scratching Sean Couturier, at this point, simply isn’t sound. I’m not going to spend too much time discussing the merits and demerits because, frankly, there are few merits and a great many demerits. And I think most smart observers–even the supporters of this decision–would agree with that. But for the sake of posterity, let’s lay it out.

Sean Couturier is not playing at a particularly high level right now. In the interest of fairness, it should be noted that he was playing at an extremely high level from October to mid-January. He was a 1C without the flash. He was, frankly, one of the frontrunners for a second Selke trophy. For my money, Aleksander Barkov was the favorite and he remains the favorite. But if you asked me this question in December? Coots was my number 2 choice.

Since a nagging injury began in mid-January, Couturier hasn’t been the same. He hasn’t remotely resembled the player that he was for the first half of the season. The debilitating nature of that injury surely is playing a role.

The usage has cratered for some time now, and it aligns rather peculiarly with when Coots was named the captain of the team.

It could very well be coincidence given context, but the TL of this Couturier…let’s call it “situation” is fascinating:

– Feb 14th: named captain
– Feb 15th: plays his lowest TOI of season to that point of 12:53
– has played >17 TOI just 5x since named captain
– now HS

— Jake (@J_Fahringer) March 19, 2024

It’s worth pointing out that Couturier being a healthy scratch was a justifiable decision right around January. But Tortorella opted against it then. He waited 2 months, and frankly, waited himself right out of his window.

Since that time, Couturier’s play has been on a modest upswing. That hasn’t seemed to matter much to Torts, who benched Couturier for the final 6 minutes of the Boston game even after he made the play on the forecheck to create a Deslauriers(!) goal.

"Not really. I've gotten the same answer as you guys. 'Just need to see more.' Still trying to figure out what that is."

That's an even nastier indictment than "the way I've been treated around here lately," my God. https://t.co/t3ZVgz6UGK

— Derek (@SuitableAlias) March 19, 2024

You can confirm that this doesn’t matter much to Tortorella who… refuses to tell his players how they can improve and get back in the lineup.

Yeah, this is just simply egregious. Unacceptable conduct from a head coach. A flagrant abuse of authority that, frankly, should be met with a pink slip.

But that quote makes one thing clear…

This isn’t about merits

This is about psychology. This is about “generating a response.”

Anthony DiGrazio laid out this case best on X: John Tortorella Mind Games

Quoting again because this is important.

It really is this simple.

This season is all about responding.

You may not like Torts method of getting a response, but the guy has received a response from this team all season long.

It’s a huge reason why they are where they are. https://t.co/7VAz8K8GIk

— Anthony DiGrazio (@AntDiGrazio) March 19, 2024

It’s a well-articulated case, but I don’t agree. I don’t agree that Tortorella playing mind games was a driving engine behind how the Flyers played in the first half of the season.

Do you know what a real driving engine is, in my view?

Having a 1C who was firmly in the Selke conversation. You can criticize Coots for the lack of a dynamic element he brings to a hockey team, and you won’t be wrong. He surely isn’t the only thing a hockey team needs to win. Somebody has to bring some flash, okay? Someone has to make plays that other players don’t make. Preferably, multiple somebodies would do that. It’s that simple.

But having someone who makes all of the smaller plays to dominate the territorial side of hockey made a gigantic difference. This guy, when he’s playing at his best, is a 3rd defenseman in the D-zone and a ball-hawk-free safety in the offensive zone who kills zone exits with nothing more than guile and a mile-long stick.

When they don’t have that guy out of Coots, you see what this team really is. It isn’t ready for primetime. And maybe he wouldn’t be that guy tonight against Toronto. Hell, let’s be honest, it’s a safe bet that he wouldn’t be.

But now we know he won’t be. Because he won’t be playing. You’ve sacrificed one of the biggest tangible X-factors your team has… and for what?

Psychology? The unflappable belief that you can simply “get more out of guys” by tinkering with their brains? If that’s true: How do the Flyers ever lose a game?

No, seriously, answer that question. If Tortorella can get wins out of players who shouldn’t generate wins by simply using his Hugo Strange-like understanding of psychology to warp players’ brains… why do the Flyers ever lose? There should always be another card to play. And yet, there isn’t.

Intangibles are all well and good until you start implying that they should lead to tangible results.

If John Tortorella is such a genius, then let’s see him prove it.

That’s where I stand.

He is healthy scratching Sean Couturier. In so doing, he did not ice the team most equipped to win a hockey game… as he said is his goal. Unless he’s right, and the psychological effect takes hold, and that psychological effect is enough to make Ryan Poehling a workable counter to Auston Matthews.

If he’s right, then the Flyers will win the game.

But if he’s wrong, and all of this is bullshit, then he should be fired because his methods will have been proven fraudulent.

Win… or resign

How about that? Do you believe in your methods that much?

And don’t tell me that’s ridiculous because this is just one game. The stakes are, in fact, higher than 1 game.

Couturier: "I've been putting the work in for a while. I've been struggling, but I've been working on my game, and it's frustrating the way I've been treated around here lately. But it is what it is."

— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) March 19, 2024

When you have infamously soft-spoken Sean Couturier delivering soundbites like an NBA star on the verge of requesting a trade? It’s a problem. And for what? What did you gain by alienating players like this? The most likely answer: absolutely nothing.

And some people don’t love Coots. He can be rather hard to like while he’s playing, frankly. It’s not the most aesthetic style of game. It sounds much more fun to have drafted Dougie Hamilton, and Couturier’s contract makes him even more of a sore spot. But ignore the player for a second.

How do we move forward like this? How do we attract talent to play for this team when he has his soft-spoken captain sounding like he wants to strangle his head coach? Who wants to come and be a part of that? Especially when they have better options, as stars often do.

Is Tortorella attracting stars to Philadelphia? I’ve never heard that.

Is Artemi Panarin requesting a trade to come reunite with Torts? No, I don’t think so. Is Leon Draisaitl saying: “Yeah, I need to come to Philly so I can be Torts’ next whipping boy.”

Again, I doubt it. Something has to give with this guy.

He’s actively making the job of the front office harder… all because he believes that he’s the zen-master.

Okay, Hugo. Let’s put your theory to the test.

Let’s make this a game of Russian Roulette where Tortorella’s career is under the gun. If he’s right, then he’ll have a job long enough to wait for the trigger to be pulled again. But if he’s wrong? Then we end this charade once and for all.

Listen to The Liberty Yell

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