Eight potential candidates for the Philadelphia Flyers' coaching vacancy

The process for Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere to find the teams next head coach has not yet begun.

According to Briere, the firing of John Tortorella on Thursday morning happened really quick in the last few days.

Its not like we have anything prepared.

We havent started looking or making a list, or anything like that.

Advertisement But we can make a list.

Lets examine a few candidates who could end up on Brieres list at some point.

Rick Tocchet Speculation is already rampant that Tocchet could depart the Vancouver Canucks at the conclusion of the season, his third there.

If that happens, its probably inevitable that hell at least chat with the Flyers, as he and Keith Jones remain close friends.

This is the final year of Tocchets contract, which includes a team option for next season.

If the Flyers are looking for a sort of Tortorella-light, Tocchet could make sense.

The 60-year-old is on his third NHL team as head coach and, of course, is one of the more popular players in franchise history with his blend of scoring and physicality.

From an optics standpoint, theres little doubt that bringing Tocchet back into the organization would be viewed favorably by the fan base.

Mike Sullivan It seems likely that Sullivan will stay in Pittsburgh, but he would also bring at least a similar vibe as Tortorella, as the two are extremely good friends after working together in Tampa Bay, New York and Vancouver (and for Team USA at the recent 4 Nations Face-Off).

Were Sullivan, 57, to get fired by the Penguins, every team with a vacancy would probably give the two-time Stanley Cup champ a ring.

Brad Shaw It feels like a long shot, if only because the 60-year-old Shaw, the Flyers interim coach, seems more comfortable as an assistant coach at this stage of his career.

His only head coaching job before this one was also on an interim basis in 2005-06, when he coached the New York Islanders for 40 games, going 18-18-4.

Its been a really long time since Ive ran a bench or ran a team, he said after Thursdays game.

I told myself I was going to really enjoy myself these nine games, just in case theyre the last nine games that I get to do it.

If it goes longer than that, then great.

But right now were just trying to take this team to a point where we can build something somewhat positive to take into the offseason, and then be way better next year.

Advertisement Shaw has received widespread praise for what hes done with some of the Flyers defensemen.

It seems like there could be a path in which he remains with the organization as an associate, but under a new head coach.

Ian Laperriere The former Flyers forward, 51, is currently in his fourth season as the head coach of their AHL team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

For the previous nine seasons, he served as a Flyers assistant coach under several different head coaches.

Theres little doubt that the Flyers would at least talk to Laperriere about the job, but, as with Shaw, this feels like a long shot.

David Carle Briere notably didnt shoot down the idea of a young head coach taking over.

Were not going to close off any coaches because of their ages, he said.

If theyre the appropriate coach ...

were going to keep everything open.

No one on this list is younger than the 35-year-old Carle, the head coach at the University of Denver who won national championships in 2022 (a team that included Flyers forward Bobby Brink) and 2024.

Carle has led Team USA to back-to-back World Juniors championships, too.

Carles brother, Matt, is a former Flyers defenseman and teammate of Brieres for four seasons.

Pat Ferschweiler The Flyers love one of Ferschweilers pupils at Western Michigan, Alex Bump, whom they drafted in 2022.

Might they be interested in the 55-year-old Ferschweiler, too? He was Jones linemate in college.

Ferschweiler has been head coach at Western Michigan since August 2021, but also served as an assistant coach with the Detroit Red Wings from 2015-16 to 2018-19.

Jay Woodcroft It was notable that Woodcroft showed up at Flyers training camp in September.

The former Oilers coach reached out to Tortorella, who invited him to observe his first couple of grueling skates.

Woodcroft, 48, has been unemployed since he was fired by the Oilers just 13 games into the 2023-24 season.

Hes also spent time in the Red Wings and Sharks organizations, and was an AHL head coach in Bakersfield, Calif., for parts of four seasons.

Advertisement Peter Laviolette A familiar name to Flyers fans, Laviolette, 60, is the most recent coach to take the club to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010.

If the underachieving Rangers miss the playoffs, his two-year tenure there could come to an end , even though general manager Chris Drurys missteps probably would be viewed as the primary reason why.

Laviolette has coached six different teams, and is seventh all-time in wins behind the bench.

(Photo of Rick Tocchet: Bob Frid / Imagn Images).

This article has been shared from the original article on theathleticuk, here is the link to the original article.