On March 27, the Philadelphia Flyers fired head coach John Tortorella. Just weeks later, on April 24, the organization announced more changes. General Manager Danny Brière confirmed that assistant coaches Rocky Thompson, Darryl Williams, and Angelo Ricci will not return next season.
These decisions come after the Flyers finished the 2024–25 season with 33 wins, 39 losses, and 10 overtime losses. They placed 29th out of 32 teams in the NHL.
Thompson joined the Flyers in 2022–23 when Tortorella was hired. He managed the forwards and the power play. During his time, the Flyers’ power play ranked last in the league for two straight years. In the 2022–23 and 2023–24 seasons, they were ranked 32nd. This season, they improved slightly to 30th but still struggled, finishing with a 14.6% conversion rate. The Flyers also allowed 10 shorthanded goals, including one in the final game.
Williams was hired in 2021–22 under Alain Vigneault and stayed on when Tortorella took over. Ricci was also brought in during the 2021–22 season. He started as a skills coach and was promoted to assistant coach in 2023–24. Neither coach saw measurable improvement from the roster during their time.
The Flyers have not made final decisions about interim head coach Brad Shaw or goaltending coach Kim Dillabaugh. Dillabaugh has been with the Flyers since the 2015–16 season and is known for his work with young goaltenders. Shaw took over as interim head coach after Tortorella’s exit. He led the team to a 5-3-1 record in the final nine games. Shaw has met with Brière to discuss the head coaching role, but he also said he would consider returning to an assistant position if he is not chosen as head coach.
The season ended on April 17 with a 5-4 loss to the Buffalo Sabres at KeyBank Center. The game did not affect the playoff standings but highlighted the team’s ongoing issues.
Buffalo scored early when Alex Tuch beat Flyers rookie Devin Kaplan, who was making his NHL debut. Kaplan played 12 minutes and 12 seconds and recorded one hit and one blocked shot.
Soon after, Owen Tippett had a breakaway chance but was stopped by Buffalo goalie James Reimer. Then, a delay-of-game penalty gave the Flyers a power play, which led to a shorthanded goal by Peyton Krebs. It was the 10th shorthanded goal the Flyers allowed this season.
Matvei Michkov responded with a power play goal—his 25th of the season—cutting the lead to 2-1. But Buffalo answered quickly. Ryan McLeod assisted Jack Quinn, who scored to make it 3-1 at the end of the first period. Buffalo outshot Philadelphia 14-5 in the opening frame.
In the second period, J.J. Peterka extended Buffalo’s lead to 4-1. Michkov scored again later, bringing the Flyers back within two. It was his 26th goal of the season and moved him into the lead among NHL rookies. Kolosov, in goal for Philadelphia, made key saves on breakaway chances by Krebs and Peterka. Ryan Poehling nearly made it 4-3 but hit the crossbar.
After two periods, Buffalo led 4-2 and held a 24-16 shot advantage.
The Flyers scored just 15 seconds into the third period. Tyson Foerster found the net on a setup from Noah Cates and Bobby Brink. The Flyers trailed 4-3. A near goal from Sean Couturier was reviewed in Toronto but was ruled a no-goal. Later, Peterka scored again, but the Flyers successfully challenged for goalie interference, and the goal was overturned.
With under three minutes to go, Tuch tripped Michkov, giving Philadelphia one last power play. Michkov took a shot from the right circle, but Reimer made the save.
Then McLeod scored an empty-net goal with 47.9 seconds left, making it 5-3. Philadelphia pulled Kolosov again, and Brink scored from the point. Michkov and Poehling assisted. The Flyers ran out of time, and the game ended 5-4.
Kolosov finished with 27 saves. Reimer made 21. The final shots were 32-25 in favor of Buffalo.
Michkov ended the season with 26 goals and 37 assists for 63 points. He led the team in goals and became the first Flyers rookie to do so since Andre Lacroix in the 1968–69 season. He also tied for fifth in franchise history among rookies in power-play goals, joining Eric Lindros and Simon Gagné.
The Flyers led the NHL in blocked shots with 1,457 for the season and recorded 19 in the final game.
Despite the record and missed playoffs, there were positives. Michkov emerged as a key piece of the team’s future. Kolosov showed potential. The team showed a fight in the final game, even when the result was out of reach.
With Thompson, Williams, and Ricci gone and a decision on Shaw still pending, the Flyers are preparing for change. The coaching staff will likely look very different next season. Whoever takes the head coaching job—whether Shaw or someone new—will help shape the next phase of the rebuild.
The Flyers ended the year with more problems than solutions, but there are signs of growth. The next few months will determine how quickly that growth can turn into progress.
