Flyers expected to hire Rick Tocchet as head coach
The Philadelphia Flyers are closing in on Rick Tocchet as their next head coach, sources told Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on Wednesday.
Although not official yet, Seravalli reports that it is trending towards becoming official in “short order.”
Sources say #Flyers are closing in on hiring Rick Tocchet as their next head coach. Not official yet and still steps to go in the process, but definitely trending as if it will get done in short order.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 14, 2025Tocchet, who announced his intentions to leave the Vancouver Canucks on April 29, has been linked with the Flyers and several other teams. Since leaving the Canucks, he has spent time on the NHL on TNT panel, while seeking his next coaching opportunity.
He stepped away from the Canucks having posted a 108-65-27 record, after taking over the role on Jan. 22, 2023. His contract had expired, however the Canucks had the option of keeping him for 2025-26.
The 61-year-old coach spent two stints with the Flyers as a player and briefly served as their captain in the 1991-92 season. Through his 18-year NHL career, he played 621 games with the Flyers, scoring 508 of his 952 NHL points with the club.
He also played for the Boston Bruins, LA Kings, Washington Capitals, and Arizona Coyotes and won the 1992 Stanley Cup during his three-season stint with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
As a coach, he won the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award after leading the Canucks to a 50-23-9 season and their first Stanley Cup Playoff appearance in four seasons. He was also recently an assistant coach on Team Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off staff.
In addition to his most recent stops, Tocchet has been a head coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Coyotes and has assistant coaching experience with the Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. He has a record of 286-265-87 as a head coach behind an NHL bench.
The Flyers finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 33-39-10 and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, after dismissing veteran head coach John Tortorella with nine games remaining in the regular season.
If hired, Tocchet would become the 25th head coach in Flyers history.