VOORHEES, N.J. - Rick Tocchet didn’t exactly have to dig deep for teaching material when the Flyers hit the ice Monday at the Flyers Training Center.
With Hunter McDonald fresh off a rougher-than-ideal bout with Anaheim’s A.J. Greer on Saturday, the coach was right there showing the young defenseman how to handle himself when the gloves come off. Tocchet actually took hold of McDonald’s practice jersey and walked him through how to tie up an opponent in a fight.
McDonald could have used that lesson in Philadelphia, where Greer - a seasoned fighter - got the better of him and left the defenseman mostly trying to survive the exchange.
Nick Seeler also spent a few minutes with McDonald at practice, offering his own help. Both players know Tocchet’s background well enough to understand the value of a coach who’s been through that kind of thing himself.
Tocchet said the priority is simple.
“The object is not to get hit,” Tocchet said. “In a fight, the protection and all.
I just gave him some pointers to protect yourself. He’s a big guy.
He wanted to ask some questions.
“You want every player to be aggressive and hit and do all that sort of stuff. You can give them advice but it kind of has to happen.
It’s a tough situation. You lay hits and you know guys are going to come after you.
You just have to be ready for it. You have to be able to protect yourself.
That’s why we were out there giving out pointers here and there.”
He also had a little fun reflecting on the Flyers’ old-school reputation, naming Dave Brown and Craig Berube as part of his own crew from back in the day.
“I was lucky, I had eight guys,” he said with a grin. “We had the toughest team in the league.
It was very easy to be tough on that team. Dave Brown was my man.
He was a legend. Berube. . .if you made a list, there would be a thousand guys, team-first guys, do anything for their teammates.”
McDonald, for his part, knows exactly what kind of resource he has on the bench.
“They (Tocchet and Seeler) have been around and know how to protect themselves,” McDonald said. “We all know ‘Toc.’
When those situations arise, I hold my own. I’m very fortunate to have help in that side of the game.”
He also said Tocchet’s reputation is no mystery.
“It’s awesome, he understands,” McDonald said. Asked if he knew of Tocchet’s reputation, McDonald responded: “I sure did. I’ve seen some videos of him, so yeah, it’s awesome.”
Tocchet liked what he saw from McDonald beyond the physical stuff, too. The coach said the young defenseman has made real progress with the puck since training camp.
“I think he’s improved with the puck,” Tocchet said. “If you look at (since) training camp, there’s a lot of growth in his game.
You could see his patience with the puck. And clean hits.
He makes the other team think. They’ve taken hits and we’ve capitalized on that.
Good for him.”
The Flyers also had another injury update to sort through. Rasmus Ristolainen, who had just come back after sitting out nine games with a left hand injury, is out again for another two weeks after re-aggravating the same problem.
“He kind of re-aggravated it and it’s in an awkward spot,” Tocchet said. “A bad luck kind of an injury.”
There was some better news on Cam York, who took part in a full practice Monday and appears close to returning from injured reserve.
With Ristolainen out, rookie Oliver Bonk is likely to remain on the first pairing with Travis Sanheim. Tocchet said the Flyers need to be mindful with Bonk, even while leaning on him more.
“We don’t throw the whole kitchen sink at this guy,” Tocchet said of Bonk’s play on the top unit. “He’s been going against some tough matchups and first-pair minutes, late in the game, things like that.
“So we have to be careful we don’t overdue it. We’re going to have to lean on him, especially with ‘Risto’ being out.”
In Other News...
Ducks Showed Fight In Philly But One Big Question Remains
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Physicality was part of the Ducks edge on this night, and it showed up in a game that drifted into penalty trouble before the final horn. For Philadelphia, the loss was another reminder that the margin can disappear quickly when an opponent starts to play with more bite, while Anaheim still leaves town with a broader question hanging over the trip: whether this burst was a sign of something sustainable or just the one game where everything finally clicked. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Suddenly Need Their Blue-Line Depth More Than Ever
Rasmus Ristolainens latest return was supposed to give the Flyers some stability on the blue line after a three-week absence, but it did not last long. He was back in the lineup Saturday against Anaheim, logged 14:34 in the loss, and then exited again with another injury, leaving Philadelphia to keep leaning on a defense corps that has already been tested.
Oliver Bonk has been handling the heavy lifting in the spot Ristolainen usually occupies next to Travis Sanheim, and the Flyers have also had to piece together the rest of the rotation with Hunter McDonald, Simon Benoit and David Jiricek. For a player in the final year of his contract and still looking to get his season moving after one goal in four games, the timing is especially unfortunate, and it puts even more pressure on Philadelphias depth to hold up until the blue line gets healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Oilers Suddenly Face A Goaltending Question They Cant Ignore
Chris Tanev was back in a full team skate for the first time since his injury, though he was still wearing a non-contact jersey and there is no clear timetable for his return. Around the league, roster shuffling has continued to pick up, with the Oilers placing Devon Levi on injured reserve and bringing up Matt Tomkins for emergency depth, while Taylor Hall is nearing a return for Carolina after missing five games and Mats Zuccarello remains sidelined with an upper-body injury.
For the Flyers, the more immediate concern is the blue line, where Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to miss about two weeks with an upper-body injury. Philadelphia will have to manage without one of its physical defenders for the short term, and how the next stretch unfolds could depend on how he responds to treatment as the team works through its defensive mix. [Read more 🡒]