A coach trade sounds like the kind of wild NHL trivia that gets passed around in barstool debates, but there was a time when it was real enough to happen. The league shut that door with a 2015 rule change, and that matters here because Rick Tocchet would be the kind of name that could have made the idea more than a joke.
The last time it actually happened was in 1987, when the Quebec Nordiques dealt their head coach to the New York Rangers for a first-round pick, 5th overall in the 1988 NHL Draft, and $75,000. The coach going the other way was Michel Bergeron, and while his run in New York didn’t last long, the move had the city and the league buzzing. It remains the final coach trade.
For the Flyers, the only way a Tocchet deal could even enter the conversation would be if a few things lined up in a very specific order.
First, Philadelphia would need to play better - but only to a point. If the Flyers don’t improve quickly, Tocchet’s seat could get uncomfortably hot and the pressure on Daniel Briere and Keith Jones could force a decision.
The organization has strong Flyers ties at the top, but that doesn’t make the math disappear. Results matter, and so does money.
If the team isn’t winning enough to generate either, the front office would be staring at a problem.
At the same time, the Flyers would have to avoid turning that improvement into a real playoff push. If they can play better without climbing into that kind of position, then the next step becomes possible.
That next step is another coach getting fired.
Last season, two coaches were let go before the trade deadline: Dean Evason in Columbus and Jim Hiller in Los Angeles. Both were running teams that believed they should have been in the playoff race but weren’t.
Those moves were about optics, sure, but they were also about trying to stop the bleeding. Neither team managed to change its season enough.
A coach like Tocchet would draw interest because of what he’s done before. In his last two stops, both first full seasons, he turned teams into playoff clubs.
In Vancouver, that earned him the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. He was also a mid-season hire there, and that half-season may have helped set up the Canucks’ 2023-2024 success.
With a contract already in place, a team desperate enough to save its season would at least have to think about him.
Of course, none of that matters unless the return is worth it. For the Flyers, moving on from a coach mid-year would amount to punting the season, so the price would have to be real - something like a first-round pick. If a team were desperate enough to make that kind of move, the Flyers would have to be ready to take it.
And then there’s the practical part: someone would have to take over immediately. That’s not as simple as moving up a player.
On the Flyers’ staff, Todd Reirden is the obvious candidate. He has two years of head-coaching experience, and with Washington he guided the Capitals to back-to-back division titles in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
He’s also coached elsewhere in the league, including Pittsburgh, at both the NHL and AHL levels.
Will it happen? No.
It’s illegal now. But frankly, it shouldn’t be.
In Other News...
Flyers Just Turned Up The Pressure On Rick Tocchet
Danny Briere did not try to downplay the noise around Matvei Michkov when he spoke about the Flyers latest swirl of reports, and in doing so he put the spotlight squarely on the relationship between the young forward and Rick Tocchet. For a team trying to steady itself this season, the conversation is no longer just about managing a talented players development. It is also about whether the coach and the organization can get on the same page quickly enough to keep the season moving in the right direction.
Brieres message carried more weight because it went beyond simply acknowledging the situation. He made it clear he expects Tocchet to find answers and help the Flyers play better now, which is the kind of public standard that tends to sharpen the pressure around a coach. The comments also leave an obvious question hanging over Tocchets future, because when a general manager starts talking about solutions and results in that tone, the clock can feel a lot shorter than it did before. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Could Hand Mat Barzal The Finisher Hes Been Missing
The Flyers uneven start has already put the organization under a harsh spotlight, and the questions around Rick Tocchet have only added to the noise. Now another layer has been attached to the conversation, with Matvei Michkov suddenly becoming part of the broader uncertainty around the club. The 2023 seventh overall pick arrived with star-level expectations, but his future in Philadelphia is now being talked about in a way that would have seemed far-fetched not long ago.
For a team trying to steady itself, the possibility of moving a player with Michkovs ceiling would be a major decision, and it has naturally opened the door to outside speculation. The Islanders have been floated as a possible fit, with the idea centering on how his skill set could work in their lineup and under their coaching structure. It is still very much a hypothetical, but it is the kind of scenario that tends to linger when a young talent, a frustrated team and a potential trade path all start to line up at once. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Now Face A Delicate Matvei Michkov Balancing Act
The Flyers handling of Matvei Michkov has settled into a familiar kind of development story, the sort that asks for patience without letting anyone off the hook. Elliotte Friedman said the organization has been focused on Michkovs physical conditioning and his English communication, two areas the club believes matter as much to his day-to-day growth as his talent does on the ice. Around the team, the message has been that progress needs to be acknowledged, not just demanded.
Michkov, by all accounts, has already shown noticeable improvement, which leaves Philadelphia in a delicate spot. Danny Briere and the Flyers leadership want to keep supporting a player they view as a key part of the future, while still making sure the standards stay clear. It is the kind of balancing act that comes with a young, gifted player in the spotlight, especially when the organization is trying to help him grow without losing sight of accountability. [Read more 🡒]