Flyers wanting change at all coaching levels
As the Philadelphia Flyers look to round out their NHL coaching staff following the announcement of Rick Tocchet as the new bench boss, the club is also making changes to their AHL coaching staff.
First reported last week by Anthony San Filippo of On Pattison, the Flyers announced today that Ian Laperriere would not be returning as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. As I reported over the weekend, Laperriere is staying on with the Flyers; he will be moved into an advisor role to hockey operations.
Speaking with a source Tuesday morning, the decision was made with the mindset of having a new voice behind the bench in the AHL. With the Flyers expecting a major injection of youth at the professional level over the next two years, the club wanted new eyes and new ideas to oversee said young talent.
Laperriere, 51, finished up his fourth season as head coach with the Phantoms after serving as an assistant coach with the Flyers from 2013 until 2022. During that time, Laperriere worked under head coaches Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol, Scott Gordon, Alain Vigneault and Mike Yeo with the Flyers.
Laperriere played just one season (2009-10) with the Flyers before having to ultimately retire due to concussion issues after taking a slapshot to the face in the 2010 players versus the New Jersey Devils. He worked in the Flyers’ player development department until moving behind the bench in 2013 after the firing of Peter Laviolette, resulting in the promotion of Berube just three games into the season.
As for his replacement, Jay McKee (who interviewed for the Flyers head coaching job) and current assistant coach John Snowden are candidates to be the next head coach of the Phantoms, a source told Daily Faceoff. The fate of the other assistant coach, Jason Smith, will be determined by the next head coach.
As for the assistant coaches for Tocchet with the Flyers, I was told that things are in a bit of a holding pattern until other clubs finish off their head coaching searches. As I reported Monday, the Boston Bruins are hoping to finish up their coaching search sooner rather than later; the Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken are also still in the process of filling their respective head coaching vacancies.
Speaking with an NHL executive on Tuesday, it sounds like the Kraken had their hearts set on Tocchet before shifting gears to Washington Capitals assistant coach Mitch Love; the deal was close with Love but fell through at the finish line. Some believe that there is a condition for the next head coach in Seattle to retain current assistant coach Jessica Campbell, who was promoted along with former bench boss Dan Bylsma; this condition could be throwing a wrench into finalizing their next head coach.
Reading the tea leaves, I get the sense that the Flyers are hoping to offer some assistant positions to those still in the hunt for head coaching jobs. Former Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson’s name has been out there tied to the Flyers; speculatively speaking, could former Edmonton Oilers bench boss Jay Woodcroft be an option as an assistant coach?
Flames to hang on to Rasmus Andersson?
During an appearance on the Coming in Hot Podcast with Brent Wallace on Monday, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reported that he believes the Ottawa Senators could target Calgary Flames defenseman Rasmus Andersson this summer. Checking in with a source close to the Flames Monday afternoon, while I have no doubt the Senators have expressed interest in Andersson, the Swedish defender has the nation’s capital on his modified no-trade clause (six teams), I was told.
The Flames have been rumored to be exploring the market for Andersson for a while now, but a source told me yesterday that the team is now considering keeping him. After “looking around” the landscape of the NHL, keeping Andersson “might make the most sense at the right number,” a source told Daily Faceoff.
Andersson is eligible to sign an extension July. 1; whether he and the Flames will look to get something done right away remains to be seen. As for what a number could look like, it’s tough to speculate until we see what defensemen sign for this summer with the salary cap set to jump to $95.5 million.
Andersson, 28, is entering the final year of a six-year contract that carries an AAV of $4.55 million.
SPONSORED BY bet365
Recently by Anthony Di Marco
- Tocchet’s arrival opens up many possibilities for change in Philadelphia
- Expect an NHL-wide spending frenzy for centers this offseason
- The Flames could go big-game hunting this summer
- Sources: Wild plan to be ‘very aggressive’ with cap space this summer
- Sources: Flyers and RFA Noah Cates likely going to arbitration
- What are the priorities on Devils’ summer shopping list?
- Why the Predators are optimistic about a turnaround in 2025-26