Tortorella's effect on free agents, Laughton's value, a list of untouchables: Flyers mailbag

The Philadelphia Flyers will resume practice on Wednesday, preparing to restart their season on Saturday at home against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.

Lets not waste any time and get right to your questions.

(Note: Some questions have been edited for style and clarity.) What would it look like to get the Flyers to the next level while keeping the culture? For me, the character of this team in terms of grit and apparent togetherness is what I like most and makes it so easy to root for them.

What is the basis for this and can it be retained with a top-tier roster? @Sierralapuerta49 This is essentially the line Daniel Briere and Keith Jones are attempting to walk.

Theres no simple answer.

Every player they sign to a lengthy contract which, so far under the new regime, is a list that features only Owen Tippett and Travis Konecny (and to a lesser extent, Garnet Hathaway and Nick Seeler) is going to be someone they are convinced is a correct fit both on and off the ice.

Advertisement That also makes trades more complicated.

Take Elias Pettersson, for example.

In some ways, it would make sense for the Flyers to be interested, because he still has the potential to be a top-line, franchise center.

But there are also now some real question marks about him after what went down in Vancouver with the eventual trading of J.T.

Miller to the New York Rangers.

Pettersson is signed for seven more seasons at an $11.6 million salary-cap hit.

My guess, based on everything Ive learned so far about how Briere and Jones operate, is that they wouldnt be comfortable bringing in someone like that, and on that massive of a contract, because they just dont intimately know Pettersson and how he handles himself on a day-to-basis, both on the ice and around his teammates in different situations.

Maybe Im wrong, but thats my read.

At the same time, theyre obviously going to have to take a few risks over the next little while just because of the lack of talent.

Theyre hoping that when they do, the culture thats already in the dressing room allows whichever player or players they acquire to quickly adapt to their new surroundings and, consequently, thrive.

Well get a chance to see that in action with the two newcomers, Jakob Pelletier and Andrei Kuzmenko, coming out of the break.

I had an interesting conversation with Erik Johnson about culture late last month.

His assessment of what theyre trying to build here should be encouraging to Flyers fans who understand theres more to putting together a team than talent alone.

What stands out for me is, I think guys really value and care about being a Flyer, and respect the people that have come before them, Johnson said.

We have a lot of good people in here and a lot of guys that really care about each other and what theyre doing here, and what were trying to do.

Theres a hierarchy as far as veterans and younger guys, and guys are super cognizant of that, and respectful.

You can just tell theres a lot of care in here and guys that want to get better.

Advertisement To have that established early with a lot of the younger guys, I think, is key because it can go the other way, and then youve got to blow it all up and try and find good people to come in.

Theres a really good balance in the room.

A lot of bigger personalities, a lot of quieter guys.

But theres no one really off on a tangent doing their own thing.

I think guys care about each other, care about the Flyers, and I think that builds a good locker room.

Management isnt going to mess with that too much, even if it ends up prolonging the rebuild, because they believe it will pay dividends down the line.

As someone who understands the importance of culture in the locker room, I wonder how much of a blow it would be to trade Scott Laughton at this point, particularly after the recent Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee trades (both well-liked in the room, and Farabee had a leadership role with the younger players).

Frank S.

Obviously this relates to our first question here.

Johnson, also in that interview last month, called Laughton the most important guy in the room recently when it comes to setting the culture.

As for the Laughton trade chatter thats propped up lately, well, Briere has already told us how hes approaching it.

There arent any secrets here.

Its the same as it was a year ago.

The price to acquire Laughton is high because hes still more important to the Flyers than he would be to any team that acquired him.

Briere isnt lying when he says he isnt actively shopping him.

Now, that said, if a team like the Toronto Maple Leafs in my mind, the only club that makes sense as a potential destination for the Toronto-area native offers its 2026 first-round pick and a decent prospect, Briere will consider it.

But if that doesnt happen, I expect Laughton will still be here after the deadline, partly because of how that Farabee-Frost trade affected the dressing room.

Advertisement If you think the Flyers are simply going to deal Laughton to, say, Winnipeg or Colorado without his approval, you havent been paying attention to how much they value treating their players right particularly someone like Laughton, who recently endured a personal tragedy , too.

Dumping Laughton for a minimal return so soon after the Frost-Farabee trade would also risk pissing off the entire room, something else the general manager probably wants to avoid at this stage.

Further, the Flyers are trying to make it known around the league that they are an organization that does right by its players, something thats important when youre (eventually) trying to lure free agents.

Danny Briere said part of the reason for moving on from Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee was to open up cap space for big-game hunting.

What do you take this to mean? Free agents? Trade? Offer sheets? Rich T.

I never heard Briere use that specific phrase, but he did leave open the door to the Flyers being aggressive this summer with their newfound cap flexibility.

He certainly doesnt shy away from the notion that the team needs more skill and depth down the middle.

As far as his comments in the aftermath of the trade with the Flames, my guess is hes alluding more to making a trade or two than going out and looking for a premier free agent this summer.

Thats probably at least one more year away, when much of the dead money comes off the books.

I expect well see Briere take a big swing for a center at some point either before this seasons trade deadline or in the summer in one of those so-called hockey trades.

There are reports the Flyers could sell Andrei Kuzmenko.

Any truth to that? Eric F.

Well, he is a pending unrestricted free agent, so Im sure all cards are on the table.

That said, Briere mentioned that Kuzmenko was a player they were going to potentially look at as a free agent this summer, so I would imagine theyre going to see how he adapts with the team coming out of the break and make a decision from there.

He was impressive in his Flyers debut against the Penguins on Feb.

8.

Advertisement Its important to note that Kuzmenkos no-trade clause from Calgary carries over, so the Flyers cant just simply deal him anywhere.

Why wasnt Aleksei Kolosov sent back to the Phantoms during the 4 Nations break? Valentin B.

Apparently, Kolosov went home for a few days to Belarus, according to this Russian-language article .

As to why that was acceptable instead of him playing more games in the AHL, well, thats a good question.

One argument Ive seen as to why the Flyers are seemingly bending over backward for Kolosov is maybe theyre worried theyd be giving up on the next Sergei Bobrovsky.

Which, give me a break.

He may have some decent tools, but hes still just a mid-level prospect.

The chances are just as high that the recently departed Farabee turns into a 50-goal scorer.

But even if you think Kolosov is the next Bobrovsky, keeping him on the NHL roster now could ensure that never happens.

He cant play at the highest level, as weve all seen, and he wasnt very good in his three-game stint with the Phantoms recently, either.

Not only is Kolosov not getting any better as a professional in North America by sitting around as the No.

3, Id argue hes getting worse with how this has all been handled.

I get that there are some pressures on players Kolosovs age to remain in the KHL rather than play in the AHL.

But then, dont sign the contract.

It seems evident now that the Flyers should have just let him stay home.

Both the organization and the player himself would have been better off.

Is there any internal concern about Tortorella deterring potential free agents from choosing Philly? He was very high on the list of coaches players want to avoid in the latest player poll.

Riley M.

Ah yes, the player poll, in which more than 38 percent said Tortorella was the coach theyd least want to play for.

Advertisement However, Id also point to the first line just after the bar graph: Tortorella topping the list is no surprise, though a few players came to his defense and noted that many players really like playing for him.

Ive heard hes got his teams back, said one.

Hell take care of his players.

This reminded me of a conversation I had about a year ago with a tough-as-nails player on another team who was a pending free agent who also told me he would welcome the opportunity to play for Tortorella.

Those are the kinds of players, weve learned, that the Flyers prefer.

For better or worse its still too early to determine which the Flyers have committed to remaking themselves in Tortorellas image, at least while they are building.

No one in the organization is shying away from it.

Theres a reason that in his presser discussing Matvei Michkovs early arrival, Briere spoke about how excited he was that Michkov was going to get a chance to be molded by the veteran head coach.

And, Id argue thats going pretty well so far.

As far as your question, as mentioned earlier, I dont envision the Flyers pursuing a big-name free agent until the 2026 offseason, at which point Tortorellas four-year contract would have expired.

Well see if hes still the coach at that point.

But even if he is, I dont think its something that would necessarily worry the organization all that much.

With Frost and Farabee gone, which of the young core is most under the microscope as to whether they are a long-term fit? Gary S.

Up front, Id say Bobby Brink.

In fact, Tortorella basically touched on that topic just before the break.

While guys such as Noah Cates and Tyson Foerster may be cementing themselves as pieces for the future, Brink still has more work to do, according to the coach.

I think Catesy has put himself in a good spot as far as being a part of the foundation.

I think Tyson has, Tortorella said.

I think Bobby Brink plays every game worrying about that, and he should, just staying in his spot.

Advertisement On defense, its probably a toss-up between Cam York, Jamie Drysdale and maybe even Emil Andrae now, too.

Those are three undersized defensemen, and I have a hard time envisioning the Flyers regularly playing a back end that small.

Moving forward, whom do you regard as untouchables on the roster? John G.

Not many.

If were talking about the young players currently on the NHL roster (and not including Michkov, who is clearly untouchable), the only players I would be truly flabbergasted to see moved at any point before the start of next season would be Foerster, Cates and Samuel Ersson.

Foerster, to me, has the ability to at least become a sort of a Mark Stone-lite with his size, strong stick and solid board work.

Cates looks like he could be at least a No.

3 center on a good team, and his development has been maybe the biggest bright spot over the past few months.

And, as mentioned above, they both got a public vote of confidence from Tortorella recently.

As for Ersson, hes shown he can be at least a solid No.

2, if not more.

And, of course, the Flyers quite literally do not have anyone else in the organization at the moment that they can count on for reliable goaltending.

Is it just me, or has Torts been giving Fedotov the harder matchups all year? Whenever there is a back to back, Ersson always seems to get the easier matchup, and even comparing the game logs, Fedotov has gotten much fewer cupcakes than Kolosov or Ersson.

Richard I.

I dont think Tortorella is really looking at the matchups, simply because its not like the last-place Flyers have any cupcakes.

If theres one recent game in which a case can be made that it should have been Ersson starting instead, though, it was that 4-3 loss to the first-place Washington Capitals on Feb.

6, in which Fedotov wasnt very good and Ersson was coming off of that outstanding effort in Utah two nights earlier.

But they probably figured Ersson could use a rest after a long flight while getting Fedotov some needed action before the break.

Advertisement I think theres a decent chance we dont see Fedotov again until the Flyers next back-to-back on March 8-9, both at home against the Seattle Kraken and New Jersey Devils, respectively.

Tortorella indicated before the season began that his preference is to ride Ersson, and hes probably going to have to if the team is going to put together any sort of run which hes still holding out hope for, as unlikely as that may seem.

(Top photo of Scott Laughton: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images).

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