Rick Tocchet has a clear standard for David Jiricek, and it starts in the messy parts of the game.
The Flyers coach sees the talent. He sees the puck patience that scouts liked from the start. But Tocchet also knows exactly where Jiricek has to sharpen up if he wants to stick.
“When there's chaos and a lot of small battles, that's where he's got to be a little bit better. I think that's what he worked on in the minors: being able to shut down plays in the corner, being able to read a play, basically to shut things down.
That's things we asked him to do. Obviously, the point on the power play, he's got some good awareness, but it's the boxing out and being able to win a battle boxing out; those are the things, you know, he has to find that part in his game”
That’s the hurdle now. Not the draft status.
Not the hype. Not the fact that Jiricek arrived with a reputation as a high-end prospect after being taken sixth in the 2022 NHL Draft, after an injury dropped him there following a pre-draft profile that had him as a top-five European skater and a top-three defender.
The Flyers have already seen enough to believe there’s something worth working with. Tocchet said they’ve noticed improvement since they first saw Jiricek in March, and that he is stepping up. The real question is whether that step becomes a permanent one.
Right now, Jiricek is in the fight for one spot, and the path is straightforward. The top five places are spoken for by Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Nick Seeler, and Rasmus Ristolainen.
That leaves one opening, with Oliver Bonk also in the mix. Bonk can move back and forth to the AHL safely, which gives Jiricek the inside track.
That kind of opportunity comes with pressure, especially for a player who has already bounced around. Jiricek has been on three teams in four years, with injuries, friction with coaches and management, and possible mismanagement all part of the picture. The production has not matched the billing in the NHL, and he has not exactly torn up the AHL either.
The Flyers still bet on the upside. They were high on him after the trade, and they moved quickly to give him a two-year extension before he had even played an NHL game for them. That tells you how strongly they believe he can matter in their future.
The issue now is simple: he has to prove he can handle the parts of the game that don’t show up in the highlight reel. Corner work.
Defensive reads. Boxing out.
Winning those small, ugly battles.
If he does, the Flyers get the player they think they acquired. If he doesn’t, the door to change is already there.
In Other News...
Flyers Are Still Chasing The Impact Forward This Roster Needs
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And this is not a case of a team passively waiting for the market to break its way. The Flyers have already shown a willingness to take a swing for a bigger-name addition, and the pursuit of impact help is still very much part of the plan. For a club trying to speed up its timeline, the search for that difference-making forward remains one of the more important storylines around the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Suddenly Have Two Injury Questions Right Before Opening Night
The Flyers are heading into the final stretch of the preseason with a couple of health questions hanging over the roster. Goalie Dan Vladar left Tuesdays exhibition game after taking an upper-body injury, and the team is still sorting out what it means as opening night gets closer. On a club that already knows how quickly goalie depth can matter, any uncertainty there is worth watching.
Denver Barkey added another concern when he left practice early after dealing with a lower-body injury, putting his status in doubt for the preseason finale and maybe even the opener. Philadelphia is monitoring both players as the regular season approaches, and with the calendar tightening, the next few days could say a lot about how much lineup flexibility the Flyers will have when the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Preseason Test Could Start Sorting Out Key Roster Battles
A mostly NHL Flyers lineup gets a useful preseason stress test against the Bruins, and for a team still sorting out the edges of its roster, these are the kinds of games that matter. Philadelphia will be without injured Dan Vladar and Denver Barkey, but the lineup still has plenty of names worth tracking, with Cole Knuble, Jett Luchanko, Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin all expected to be in the mix.
The night also carries a little extra weight in goal, where Joseph Woll is set for his first full game with the Flyers. Grebenkins return adds another layer of intrigue after his injury absence, giving the coaching staff another look at a player who has been out of game action since March 21 of last season. For a preseason meeting, there is more than enough here to start separating who is pushing for jobs and who still has more work to do. [Read more 🡒]