Mike Yeo has been named interim coach following the firing of Alain Vigneault and Michel Therrien…I was holding off on this blog a bit, because I felt we might be seeing another shoe to drop…while I believe that is coming I decided to write what I believe has gone wrong in Philly.
The Flyers relieving Vigneault and Therrien of their positions was an absolute necessity. The two men are unquestionably among some of the best to ever coach in this game and their history shows this, but they were very much mismatched for this current Flyers squad. And this had become a team that was waiting for this to happen. never good.
A lot. The constant mishandling of lines and personnel when injuries occurred had led the team the point where the players had lost faith in the direction, but perhaps worse so they had lost faith in their own identities. It is so important to give players a sense as to what they bring to a team. Players are only as good as the confidence they have. Vigneault and Therrien were not able to stabilize these player’s confidence by emphasizing their individual strengths and it left many players unsure of themselves. When an injury occurred all four lines were shifted…and these failings shifted to goal.. The handling of Carter Hart and the goaltending last year went along with Vigneault’s history in NY and Vancouver that he wasn’t a strong handler of his keepers’ time.
Michel Therrien, whose strengths came from his ability to get his teams focused on their own end (see the Penguins), was an illogical choice to run an NHL power play in the 2000s. Therrien and Vigneault are also VERY different personalities. Michel Therrien is a much harder coach who liked to use the fact that his players don’t particularly like him as a way to force his team to grow together. That role, albeit controversial and shady, can indeed work in situations where you are the head coach. Its effectiveness was perhaps best seen in Therrien’s last run in Montreal. That team despised him (I have talked to many of those guys) and yet they had a strong playoff run despite losing Price to injury.. This way of coaching only can work for a short period of time however. And it also can only work if you are the head coach. Assistant coaches are traditionally the softer go-betweens that connect the head coach and the players. Mike Yeo has done a good job at this, and that is part of the reason he is still around. That and the fact that Colorado is in town TONIGHT.
Alain Vigneault is a truly great guy, solid professional, and the players do for the most part like and respect him. However, AV and GM Fletcher have also appeared to be at odds when it comes to what players to use in what ways. The kind of team Fletcher has built and the kind if team Vigneault likes to coach had not always appeared to be in sync. Obviously there have been exceptions where Fletcher brought in guys like Hayes and Yandle who AV was a big part in bringing in. The best example of this came last year. I talked to a GM from another team who early in the year made a very strong pitch for Shane Gostisbehere, who at the time was sitting in the press box having lost his confidence completely and being solidly in AV’s doghouse. The other GM was told by Fletcher that “Ghost” was not available. And that he wouldn’t even discuss the price. That tells you clearly that AV and Fletcher were looking at Shane in very different ways. Gostisbehere is the PERFECT example of a player who when he is confident he is a star and when he is not he can look completely out of his league.
When it comes to the handling of younger players Vigneault has struggled the most. Morgan Frost, being the latest example has no idea what role he is playing for this team right now. He has shown great chemistry with Giroux, who I believe he is perfect to eventually replace, and yet Vigneault has refused to play them together after that chemistry appeared prior to Frost’s injury last season.
What’s next?
Flyers fans are dying for more than a new coach. They would accept this team battling and even losing as long as they see the plan and feel the team is playing Flyers hockey. Ed Snider would have made this move as soon as he was let go from Arizona, but Rick Tocchet should 100% be the next Flyers coach and I believe this will happen. Tocchet has shown a very strong ability to get a lot out of young players and he is a legend in this city. The Flyers fans are very multi-generational and want Tocchet style hockey. To be tough, good on special teams, and show effort that best exemplified by strong starts to games… The Giroux era Flyers are perhaps the worst first period Flyers teams ever.
Next on the Hot Seat, NJ.
It may not be imminent, but the Devils patience is also growing thin. Lindy Ruff is still in place, but this could be changing soon as well…
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