The Flyers’ rough start has already pushed the noise level up around Rick Tocchet, but for now, the word from the outside is that Philadelphia is not headed for a coaching switch.
That matters because the pressure is real. The Flyers have dropped seven straight to open the 2026-27 season and sit second-to-last in the league standings, ahead of only the rebuilding Calgary Flames. After a 2025-26 season that saw them reach the playoffs and knock off the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round, this has been a sharp fall back to earth.
The frustration showed up in plain sight during yesterday’s 4-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reported that there were brief but very audible chants of “Fire Tocchet” echoing” in Xfinity Mobile Arena late in the game.
Still, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on today’s edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast that he “would be surprised” if the Flyers moved on from Tocchet. Friedman added that he is “not convinced that they’re making a coaching change” and believes GM Daniel Briere may instead be looking for another way to “do something to light a match underneath” the team.
That doesn’t mean the idea of an early coaching change is out of step with the rest of the league. It’s become more common in recent years for teams to make moves at unusual points on the calendar.
Last season, the New York Islanders fired Patrick Roy with two games left in the regular season and replaced him with Peter DeBoer. Earlier in the year, the Vegas Golden Knights let go of Bruce Cassidy after 74 games and turned to John Tortorella.
Cassidy had gone 50-22-10 the year before, but had the club at 32-26-16 and in a playoff spot when he was dismissed.
Even with that backdrop, Tocchet doesn’t seem to be on the verge of losing his job. His first season behind the Flyers bench was a strong one by the standings, as he guided a team that many expected to miss the playoffs to a 43-27-12 record and its first playoff series win since the 2020 COVID-19 bubble. Philadelphia also beat its chief rivals for a playoff series for the first time in more than a decade.
But that season wasn’t spotless. Some players clearly thrived under Tocchet, including Trevor Zegras and Dan Vladar, while his handling of others, especially Matvei Michkov, drew criticism. Tocchet addressed that directly last month, saying his first year working with Michkov was “a learning lesson for both of us.”
There was plenty of optimism heading into this season that Michkov and Tocchet could move forward together, and that Michkov would finally deliver the star-level breakout Flyers fans have been waiting for since he was taken No. 7 in the 2023 draft. Instead, the early returns have been ugly.
Michkov has two points in seven games and is still looking for his first assist. Even more telling, those two points are enough to leave him tied for second on the team in scoring, just one point behind Travis Konecny.
The Flyers will try to break through tomorrow against the Seattle Kraken and pick up their first win of the season. Their playoff odds have already taken a hit, but there is still time for a turnaround if they can string together victories. For now, though, despite the crowd’s message on Sunday, a coaching change does not appear to be the plan.
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Flyers Early Skid Is Already Raising Bigger Questions About This Roster
Seven games into the season, the Flyers are already facing the kind of early turbulence that can change the conversation around a roster fast. Their latest loss came against the Carolina Hurricanes, extending a rough start that has left Philadelphia searching for any kind of rhythm or consistency while the goals and results keep piling up in the wrong direction.
The numbers have been hard to ignore, with the club struggling to finish chances and get much going on special teams, and coach Rick Tocchet has been blunt about the need for patience and improvement. Players are saying the right things about sticking with it, but the bigger question now is whether this is simply an ugly opening stretch or a sign of deeper problems that this group has to sort out before the hole gets much harder to climb out of. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Frustration With Rick Tocchet Just Reached Another Level
The early-season spiral in Philadelphia kept getting uglier in Raleigh, where the Flyers dropped a 4-1 decision to the Carolina Hurricanes and saw another lineup experiment go sideways. Prospect defenseman Oliver Bonk was elevated to the top defensive pairing and had a rough night, a move that only added to the sense that the team is searching for answers in real time as the losses pile up and the frustration grows louder.
Rick Tocchets decisions are now under a harsher spotlight because the results have left so little room for patience. With the offense sputtering, the defense unsettled and the group still waiting for a clean response, the Flyers look stuck between development and damage control, and the bigger concern is that the season is already drifting in a direction no one around the team can afford to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Are Counting On Michael Bunting To Fix A Bigger Problem
The Flyers turned to Michael Bunting early in the 2026-27 season with a clear goal in mind: wake up an offense that has lagged behind expectations even though the wing group looked deep on paper. Bunting, a 31-year-old left winger, brings the sort of edge and net-front presence Philadelphia believes can translate into more energy and more finish around the crease.
It is the kind of addition that says as much about the teams start as it does about the player. Flyers associate Danny Brire framed the move as a response to the clubs poor play rather than a panic button, and that distinction matters in a season where the margin for patience can disappear quickly if the scoring does not come with it. [Read more 🡒]