Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers have narrowed down their coaching search, with Barry Trotz and John Tortorella included as finalists, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff.

The Flyers fired Alain Vigneault in December, just 22 games into the season and following an eight-game losing streak. Mike Yeo was appointed as interim head coach, but the Flyers went just 17-36-7 under his watch and missed the postseason for the second straight year.

Between the 1994-95 and 2011-12 seasons, the Flyers missed the playoffs just once. But since then, the team has qualified for the postseason just four times in the past 10 years, cycling through six different coaches (Peter Laviolette, Craig Berube, Dave Hakstol and Vigneault) and interim coaches (Scott Gordon and Yeo) in that time.

Since the team's inception in 1966, the Flyers have gone through 22 different head coaches and interim coaches, so turnover at the position has been the norm. Fred Shero (1971-78) is the only Flyers coach in the team's history to last five or more years.

In the past, that didn't keep the Flyers from being a consistent playoff team, outside a few dry patches. In recent years, that trend has changed.

As for the reported finalists, the 63-year-old Tortorella has coached for the Tampa Bay Lightning, New York Rangers (twice), Columbus Blue Jackets and Vancouver Canucks, accumulating a 673-541-37 record with 12 playoff berths and a Stanley Cup championship in the 2002-03 season with the Lightning.

Trotz, 59, has coached for the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and New York Islanders in his career, going 557-479-60 with 14 playoff berths and a Stanley Cup title in the 2017-18 season with the Capitals.

If the pair are indeed finalists for Philly, the team is clearly looking to bring in a veteran, established coach to turn the ship around as it continues to rebuild and retool.

The Philadelphia Flyers are reportedly interested in a high-profile veteran head coach ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Kevin Weekes of ESPN reported Philadelphia interviewed John Tortorella for its head coaching vacancy. The position is open after the franchise elected not to bring back Mike Yeo, who was elevated to head coach after the Flyers fired Alain Vigneault in December.

"We're going to get together tomorrow … and the first thing we're going to do is put together an ideal candidate profile," general manager Chuck Fletcher told reporters after making the Yeo decision. "We're going to really go through a very thorough discussion on what we're trying to achieve, what we're looking at. At this stage all options are open. We're just starting the process. Once we build that candidate profile, what we're looking for, we'll start to reach out to candidates we want to interview."

Philadelphia went 17-36-7 under Yeo and 8-10-4 under Vigneault this past season, finishing in last place in the Metropolitan Division. It has finished in fifth place or worse in its division in six of the last eight campaigns.

That means whoever takes over the coaching position will be facing the daunting challenge of turning things around in a division that features the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

Tortorella is accustomed to taking an underdog team and competing in the Metropolitan Division, though, from his time on the Columbus Blue Jackets.

He coached Columbus from 2015-16 through 2020-21 and led it to the playoffs four straight seasons in that span. The Blue Jackets have made the playoffs just two other times in franchise history outside of Tortorella's tenure, and they won their only best-of-seven postseason series when they stunned the top-seeded Tampa Bay Lightning with a sweep in 2019.

Tortorella has also coached the New York Rangers, Lightning and Vancouver Canucks during his career and notably led Tampa Bay to the 2004 Stanley Cup title. His teams have 1,515 points in 1,383 games for a .548 point percentage throughout his career, and he has 12 postseason appearances.

Philadelphia is looking for its first Stanley Cup title since 1975 and could reestablish itself as a contender under Tortorella if he is the direction the front office chooses for the head-coaching position.          

The NHL announced the Jack Adams Award finalists Thursday, which means three coaches can (probably) say they are safe to keep their jobs beyond this season: the New York Rangers' Gerard Gallant, Calgary Flames' Darryl Sutter and Florida Panthers' Andrew Brunette. 

These are three very different coaches with varying styles. Gallant is considered an affable players' coach. He's a motivator and has his players' backs, all while guiding them through the season with an even-keeled demeanor. 

Sutter is as old-school as they come. He grew up playing in the frozen farmlands of Viking, Alberta, was previously the coach and general manager of the Flames before he returned to the farm for a year and then came back to help the Los Angeles Kings win two Stanley Cups. He has long implemented a grinding, physically demanding style of play. 

Brunette, who carries the interim label, stepped into a difficult situation and deftly guided the Panthers to the Presidents' Trophy after Joel Quenneville resigned.

Other teams aren't quite as lucky with their coaching situations. The week began with the New York Islanders filling their opening by promoting assistant Lane Lambert shortly before the Vegas Golden Knights fired Peter DeBoer, the second coach in the franchise's five-season history. 

Barry Trotz is still on the market, having been fired by the Islanders last week, though he has already interviewed with the Winnipeg Jets. Openings exist in Detroit and Philadelphia. Speculation looms that there may be another vacancy in Dallas, and the bench bosses in Chicago and Montreal still have interim tags ahead of their names. 

With that said, let's take a look at the landscape and try to predict where a few coaches will end up, as well as examine some up-and-coming coaches who could vie for head jobs soon.

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Detroit Red Wings: Mike Vellucci

General manager Steve Yzerman recently fired Jeff Blashill and will keep his cards close to his vest in the search for the Detroit Red Wings' new coach. This is how the franchise legend has always operated, and there is no reason to expect he'll suddenly do things differently. 

It gets tough to move in complete secrecy in this business unless you're Lou Lamoriello and all you have to do is tell the club's owner that the coach is getting fired without consulting anyone who could leak information. 

But if Yzerman wants to cast a wide net, he'll have to talk to agents and team executives in order to receive permission to speak with candidates. And he should talk to Pittsburgh Penguins president Brian Burke and general manager Ron Hextall regarding the availability of assistant coach Mike Vellucci.

Vellucci is a Detroit-area native from Farmington, Michigan, and he was the longtime head coach of the OHL's Plymouth Whalers before he worked up the pro ranks in the front office with the Carolina Hurricanes, as the head coach of the AHL's Charlotte Checkers and as the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Vellucci brings experience but isn't a recycled NHL head coach. Yzerman has gone outside the traditional pipelines to fill head coaching jobs in the past, hiring a relatively unknown commodity named Jon Cooper when he was the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

Given Yzerman's history with Cooper, if Vellucci doesn't move him, then maybe Cooper's assistant Derek Lalonde will. 

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Philadelphia Flyers: John Tortorella

John Tortorella proved to have some behind-the-times views when he said on ESPN that the lacrosse-style goal that burgeoning Anaheim Ducks stars Trevor Zegras and Sonny Milano combined for earlier this year was bad for the game. There is no doubt the lightning rod of a coach would get the fans talking in Philadelphia if nothing else.

He is known for being demanding and holding his team accountable, but behind the curtain, his demeanor is that of a coach who fiercely protects his players, which would also be helpful with a demanding, blue-collar fanbase such as the one in Philadelphia.

He has the credentials: Tortorella led the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup title, is a two-time Jack Adams Award winner, has coached a team to a season of 100 or more points three times, reached the playoffs 12 playoffs times and recorded 10 series victories.

His calling card is defense, and the Columbus Blue Jackets were adept at limiting chances when he was at the helm. The Flyers had little structure under Alain Vigneault and later under interim coach Mike Yeo, bleeding chances in the defensive zone.

Last season, Philadelphia allowed nearly 2000 five-on-five scoring chances (1,971), per NaturalStatTrick.com, which was the eighth-most in the NHL. Playing like that certainly can't help when it comes to developing a goalie like Carter Hart. 

However, Tortorella's effectiveness can wane as the tough love wears thin, especially if his teams aren't winning. But hey, it's worked for Sutter. Tortorella might not be a long-term solution but instead a way to bridge the gap to the next coach. 

If not Tortorella, then Trotz could be the answer. 

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Winnipeg Jets: Barry Trotz

Few coaches do more with less than Trotz. 

The system is the star with the 59-year-old, and it's heavily predicated on defense and limiting chances. But he has proved this style of play can win, as is evidenced by his 914 career victories and a 2018 Stanley Cup. 

The Jets could have some key long-term pieces in place to retool around in forward Kyle Connor and defenseman Josh Morrissey. Franchise cornerstones Mark Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck will still be around for a few more years, and Pierre-Luc Dubois is in need of an extension, as he'll be a restricted free agent this summer.

Trotz, a Dauphin, Manitoba, native, once brought the Cup back to the province during his day with it after he won the title with Washington, but he has a chance to bring it back as more than just a display item. 

The other name that could be in the mix is Randy Carlyle, the 66-year-old former Anaheim Ducks and Toronto Maple Leafs coach. 

Carlye hasn't coached since he was fired from his second stint with Anaheim in 2019. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the former Winnipeg defenseman is interested in getting behind a bench again.

Carlyle's style was a little stale toward the end with the Ducks, though the second time around in Orange County, he did prove to have a softer demeanor and showed an ability to adapt. 

He could be continuing to evolve, and if that's the case, then it makes sense for a team to at least inquire about the 2007 Stanley Cup-winning coach. 

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Vegas Golden Knights: Rick Tocchet

Rick Tocchet made some strides with the Arizona Coyotes, taking them to the playoffs in 2020. But the TNT analyst wasn't given much of a chance to show what he could do as a coach in Arizona since the club decided to rebuild and go in another direction in 2021, hiring former Ottawa 67's coach and Team Canada World Junior coach Andre Tourigney. 

Prior to that, Tocchet's first head coaching job came in 2008, when he got the interim role in Tampa Bay after the Lightning fired Barry Melrose. Tocchet was fired after the 2010 season, having posted a 53-69-26 record in two years.

The 58-year-old has played in 1,144 career NHL games and won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach on Mike Sullivan's bench, overseeing a power play that often featured Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang. 

It's tough to get a read on the Golden Knights given the club's tendency to make decisions on a whim, like parting with former coach Gerard Gallant in the middle of the season and trading away former franchise face Marc-Andre Fleury. But Tocchet developed a respected, no-nonsense approach in Arizona, and with a roster of veterans who want to win and who know what it takes to do so, that style could be effective. 

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Dallas Stars: Peter DeBoer

Look, this is a shot in the dark, but it seems as though Rick Bowness has outlived his effectiveness. The Dallas Stars made it to the first round of the playoffs and pushed the Flames to seven games, largely based on the performance of emerging young goalie Jake Oettinger. 

But getting into the playoffs shouldn't be the goal for a team that was in the Stanley Cup Final while in the bubble two years ago. Sure, we could point to the flukey nature of the bubble, but it was an even playing field for everyone in Edmonton and Toronto, so no one can say they didn't earn it. 

The Stars are in a tough place with an aging core and some top young talent. They either have to move on from players such as John Klingberg or risk clinging to the past and mediocrity. That won't be easy, considering Tyler Seguin has five years left on his contract and Jamie Benn has three. 

The club was at an impasse with Klingberg, an impending unrestricted free agent, earlier this year, but he has expressed a desire to stay in Texas. 

No decision has been made on Bowness, but if Dallas decides it has enough talent to continue on this same path and go for it in the near future, it might want a win-now coach such as DeBoer, who has led two teams to the Cup Final (New Jersey Devils in 2012, San Jose Sharks in 2016). 

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Under-the-Radar Names

There is a dearth of European coaches and executives in the NHL. Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen (Finland) and Vancouver Canucks GM Patrik Allvin (Sweden) are the only two Europeans to hold high-level executive positions. There are no European head coaches. 

Marco Sturm could soon change that. A veteran of nearly 1,000 NHL games, Sturm is getting NHL coaching experience as a Kings assistant on Todd McLellan's bench. He has also coached the German national team in international competition. 

Rikard Gronborg's name comes up every year. The longtime Swedish national team coach is guiding Switzerland’s ZSC Lions but has worked in North America in collegiate ranks. 

Patrik Elias has also coached the Czech junior national team and with the Devils as a special assistant of sorts. He expressed interest in coaching in the NHL a few years ago, though he may need some experience as an assistant or as the coach of an AHL team first.

And speaking of the Devils, Alain Nasreddine, who briefly served as New Jersey's interim coach when John Hynes was fired in December 2019, parted ways with the Devils recently. Nasreddine could either take his lockdown penalty-killing system elsewhere in the NHL or try to become an AHL head coach to gain experience in the big chair. 

Kris Knoblauch's name was mentioned last year after the Rangers fired David Quinn. The coach of the AHL's Hartford Wolfpack since 2019 and a former assistant coach with the Flyers, Knoblauch could be ready to make the jump to an NHL head coaching job.

Quinn is also on the market, as is Claude Julien. Both coached at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The Montreal Canadiens went from a Stanley Cup Final in 2021 to picking No. 1 overall in the 2022 NHL draft during a year in which the Habs are hosting the event at Bell Centre.

What a wild year it's been for one of the NHL's most historic franchises. Montreal is going to party like it's 1993. 

Shane Wright is the projected first overall pick. There has been some debate as to whether or not the OHL center is worthy of the honor after a slow start to the season, but 94 points in 63 games with the Kingston Frontenacs was good enough to land him on top of the NHL's Central Scouting bureau's latest prospect rankings. 

The New Jersey Devils are picking second, marking the fourth time in six years the club has selected in the top five. The Arizona Coyotes, who had the second-best odds to land the first pick, will select third, the Seattle Kraken fourth and the Philadelphia Flyers will go fifth. 

The Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings won a few too many games and they'll go seventh and eighth, respectively. The Columbus Blue Jackets got the Chicago Blackhawks' sixth pick as part of the terms of the Seth Jones trade and they'll make two selections in the first round. 

Let's take a look at some of the highs and lows from the night with draft lottery winners and losers. 

Winner: Montreal Canadiens

Wright should start brushing up on his French. 

The OHL forward is one of eight players in CHL history to be granted exceptional status and he was clearly worthy, scoring 39 goals in 58 games as a 15-year-old. A speedy, skilled center like Wright is the perfect building block piece for a team like the Habs. Putting Wright behind Nick Suzuki will give them a 1-2 punch up the middle that can grow together as new general manager Kent Hughes and president of hockey operations Jeff Gorton build around those two and winger Cole Caufield. 

Last year, the Canadiens were the talk of the draft for the wrong reason. Former general manager Marc Bergevin stood at the podium at Bell Centre and defiantly chose Logan Mailloux, a prospect who had asked teams not to choose him after he was convicted of a crime of sexual nature in Sweden. There was some concern that it would damage the brand and isolate women who support the team. 

But Bergevin was fired less than two months into the 2021-22 season and he's now working under Rob Blake in Los Angeles. It's a new era in Montreal, and though it likely won't be a successful one right away, the team has turned the page and the excitement is rapidly building. 

Loser: Philadelphia Flyers

This is a big offseason for general manager Chuck Fletcher. The Flyers don't have a coach, a clear team identity or a clear direction in which the team is headed. The club has decided to stick with the GM it hired in the fall of 2018 as they attempt an "aggressive retool" after a season Fletcher described as "beyond unacceptable." 

It's not that the fifth pick is bad. The general consensus is that this is a very good draft class, but one that still has some question marks after Wright.

Maybe they end up with another center like Matthew Savoie, a very skilled and disciplined playmaker. Maybe it's a big defenseman like David Jiricek they can pair with Ivan Provorov in the future (should they keep Provorov).

The 2023 class is absolutely loaded, but this one has a lot of high-end talent, so the Flyers are going to get a quality player and a possible franchise cornerstone. It just might not be one that makes an impact right away. Fletcher said he's not asking fans to wait 5-7 years for a winning product and a player like Wright, who could step into a lineup next season, would have helped expedite that retool. 

Winner: New Jersey Devils

The Devils have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to prospects these days, which is a change from some lottery seasons a few years ago. The cupboards were pretty bare when they took Swiss center Nico Hischier at No. 1 overall in 2017. They can add another talented young player to that stockpile with the second overall pick.

Things were looking up three years ago when they chose Jack Hughes with the first overall pick, but things quickly fell apart. And now the club is at a crossroads: This rebuild cannot last forever. 

The fans have been angry for years since this was not a club that really underwent any significant rebuilds when longtime former general manager and president Lou Lamoriello was running the show. But they've made the playoffs just once since 2012 and this last season was marred by injuries to top players like Hughes and Dougie Hamilton and bad goaltending. 

They won't find that goaltender with the No. 2 pick, but it could help them obtain one.

Could general manager Tom Fitzgerald be swayed to give it up for a true No. 1 goalie? He seemed to be open to the possibility last week when he addressed the media in his end-of-season press conference, saying if he see a trade that would upgrade the NHL roster he would not hesitate to make it.

The Anaheim Ducks are rebuilding, and John Gibson is rumored to be on the market. Or maybe it's an impact defenseman to play with Hamilton or a high-end winger for Hughes. 

There are tons of possibilities and the Devils are in a good spot with that second pick. 

Loser: Arizona Coyotes

All that tanking and the desert dogs only got the third pick. 

Look, it's not that the No. 3 overall pick is a bad thing, but a player like Wright would bring some much-needed excitement and talent to a team in desperate need of both. 

The Coyotes will play next season and possibly beyond at Arizona State's new rink. No offense to the Sun Devils because that program is a great success story of the growth of hockey in an untraditional market, but an NHL team shouldn't be playing in a 5000-seat college rink intended for intramural sports. The morale is low in the desert right now and for good reason.

Arizona can continue tanking next season to get Connor Bedard or Matvei Michkov. Maybe by the time Michkov, a KHL player who is under contract with SKA St. Petersburg through 2025, is able to play in North America the new arena in Tempe that has long been promised will finally be completed. 

Winner: Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres

The Sabres have a whopping three first-round picks, while the Blue Jackets have two lottery picks. Both teams have options when it comes to using those selections. 

Columbus didn't move up or down, but it did get the Blackhawks first-round pick. Had Chicago won either of the top two picks, the Blue Jackets would have received the first-round pick next year. Chicago did Columbus a solid with such a dismal season but not too dismal, and as a result the team received the sixth pick and the Jones trade was finally completed.

Last season, the Blue Jackets used two of their 2021 draftees, Kent Johnson and Cole Sillinger, and saw good production and development from both. They're hoping to replicate that success as they build toward becoming a playoff team in the near future.

This is a chance for the Sabres to grab a few more prospects and show that they have improved their player development program. So far, it appears as though strides have been made in this area, as is evidenced by center Tage Thompson and his breakout season, but these next few years be crucial for a franchise that tries to shed its losing reputation and prove that it can develop talent and build a winning team. 

Loser: Chicago Blackhawks

This was the result of bad management. The 'Hawks went all in last summer and as a result, they gave up that pick in the Jones trade. Former general manager Stan Bowman made a short-sighted decision to try and load up in an attempt to give Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews one more chance at a Stanley Cup. But Bowman resigned amid following the investigation of the sexual assault allegations against Brad Aldrich and the team was bad right from the start. They fired coach Jeremy Colliton and Derek King still has the interim tag. 

The Blackhawks took the interim tag off of general manager Kyle Davidson, and it sure sounds like he's going to start rebuilding. A first-round pick sure would help jump-start a rebuild, but the 'Hawks will have to wait until next year to select one.

New York Islanders team president and general manager Lou Lamoriello might have shocked the hockey world Monday morning when he unceremoniously fired coach Barry Trotz, but those who have followed his career will tell you the move was par for the course for the 79-year-old Hall of Fame executive.

Lamoriello is known as an iron-fisted, tight-lipped executive who views coaches as expendable. He fired Robbie Ftorek with eight games left in the regular season when the New Jersey Devils were leading the Eastern Conference standings.

Often compared to George Steinbrenner and sometimes called the "Baby Boss" by the local media, Lamoriello made 20 coaching moves during his tenure as the president and general manager of the Devils.

Trotz won the Jack Adams Award in 2019 and took the Islanders to back-to-back conference final/semifinal rounds in 2020 and 2021, losing to the eventual champions, the Tampa Bay Lightning, both years.

Keep in mind that this was mostly accomplished with players acquired by former general manager Garth Snow.

But Lou is back to his old ways.

"This would be a tremendous understatement to say that it was an easy decision to make, but unfortunately, it's my role to make the best decisions for the organization going forward," Lamoriello said on a conference call shortly after announcing the decision. "I believe that this group of players needs a new voice."

As for what that new voice needs to sound like, Lamoriello isn't sure yet. He offered no specifics other than to say he was unhappy with the offensive production and that the decision was not made primarily on this season.

Lamoriello said he does not need to report to anyone except for owners Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin.

"Did I consult with anyone on this decision, the answer is no. Did I speak to players on this decision? No. I would never even consider thinking of anything like that," he said. "This decision is on the knowledge that I have, of the experiences I've had, and going forward, what I think and feel is best for this group to have success."

But here's where he got it wrong: While this kind of thinking might have worked in the 1990s and the early aughts in New Jersey, it doesn't work in 2022. This is a team devoid of a true star because Trotz's vaunted defensive system is the star.

Lamoriello's philosophy that players should play for the name on the front of the jersey and not on the back, regardless of the cameras, media outlets and social media platforms is quaint but outdated.

Another team is going to get a very good coach in Trotz. Let's take a look at where he could land.

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Detroit Red Wings

Detroit seems like an obvious destination for Trotz, considering this is an up-and-coming team with high-end young talent that needs a coach to help them put it all together.

Jeff Blashill was recently fired after losing seasons in six of the last seven campaigns, though you could make the argument that he never really had a chance given how long this rebuild has taken.

However, you need to look at the general manager's history of coaching hires to try to connect the dots. Steve Yzerman has hired two head coaches as an executive, both in Tampa: Guy Boucher and Jon Cooper. Both were relatively young and relatively new to NHL coaching.

Boucher came to the NHL from the AHL and, as a rookie head coach, led the Lightning to the Eastern Conference Final. He bridged the gap for Cooper, who was the club's AHL coach. Cooper played lacrosse in college and was a practicing lawyer before moving into coaching.

Yzerman has an eye for coaching talent, so while this might seem like an obvious move on paper when you look at the hiring patterns, it suddenly doesn't feel like one anymore.

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Philadelphia Flyers

General manager Chuck Fletcher is hanging on to his job by a thread. He hired coach Alain Vigneault prior to the 2019-20 season and fired him this season, replacing him with assistant coach Mike Yeo. The club recently announced that they are moving on from Yeo, though they would like to keep him in the organization.

The Flyers are in a weird spot. They dealt veteran captain Claude Giroux at the trade deadline a few months ago and have significant money committed to some veterans on the roster, with new deals kicking in for Joel Farabee and Rasmus Ristolainen next season.

The young players are struggling to develop, but that's not uncommon in a losing season.

The defensive structure was an Achilles' heel for Philadelphia last season, as the Flyers allowed the fourth-most shot attempts at five-on-five and the eighth-most scoring chances. Trotz's calling card is his defensive system.

Plus, the club has long struggled to develop goaltending talent. Bleeding chances like that would be a challenge for even the best goalies in the world, but a better defensive setup and Trotz's renowned goaltending coach Mitch Korn could help Carter Hart finally become a franchise backstop.

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New Jersey Devils

General manager Tom Fitzgerald has made one NHL coaching hire since taking over for Ray Shero early in 2020, going with veteran Lindy Ruff.

He recently threw his support behind his head coach after yet another dismal season, but could the availability of Trotz change his mind? Fitzgerald has some familiarity with Trotz, having played for him in Nashville.

The Devils were mediore at best scoring goals last season, a problem further exacerbated by injuries, poor goaltending and a disastrous power play.

It's unclear whether the club is content with goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, but bringing in Trotz to fix the defense and Korn to aid in the goaltending (assuming they are still a package deal) could help the club finally take a step toward a return to prominence.

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Vancouver Canucks

Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have a June 1 deadline to decide whether to pick up Bruce Boudreau's option year. Boudreau replaced Travis Green for the final 57 games of the season, and the Canucks pushed for a playoff spot, but that might not be enough of a sample size to retain the affable Boudreau.

Rutherford seems on the fence, saying he might need to see how Boudreau does over a full season.

One thing to keep in mind here is that Boudreau was hired by owner Francesco Aquilini before he fired general manager Jim Benning and brought in Rutherford and Allvin. The former Pittsburgh Penguins front office duo might want to put their own stamp on the organization with their own coach.

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Vegas Golden Knights

What will the Golden Knights do with Peter DeBoer after the club's failure to make the playoffs? Former Caps GM George McPhee is in Vegas as the president of hockey operations—Trotz and McPhee previously worked together in the Washington Capitals organization when Trotz was the AHL coach (Baltimore Skipjacks and Portland Pirates) in the 1990s.

DeBoer might be a very respected coach, but he has a reputation for wearing out his welcome. He hasn't been in Vegas for very long, but the decision-making group there has proved to be somewhat impulsive.

DeBoer's timing hasn't been great as he was in New Jersey during the start of their rebuild and in San Jose as the roster began to age. He took both of those teams to Stanley Cup Finals, but the difference is that Trotz won it all while DeBoer has yet to reach that peak.

The Golden Knights are in win-now mode with significant money committed to players 30 and over. Trotz is a win-now coach.

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San Jose Sharks

Bob Boughner is in a similar spot to his predecessor in that his job status seems to be tenuous.

Longtime general manager Doug Wilson recently stepped down citing health issues and Sharks president Jonathan Becher and interim general manager Joe Will are conducting a search for his replacement.

A coach is rarely hired before a general manager, but stranger things have happened (see the above on Boudreau). It's more likely the Sharks will let a new GM conduct his own coaching search, but if Trotz is still available when a new executive is hired, then he could be an attractive option.

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Winnipeg Jets

This feels like the most natural fit. Trotz is a Manitoba native, and he played and coached at the University of Manitoba, as well as with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

Former head coach Paul Maurice resigned earlier this season, and under interim coach Dave Lowry, the Jets failed to reach the postseason. GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said Lowry can interview for the full-time job, but it sounds as though the club will move on from him.

This is a team in dire need of a reset. Maurice never could take the Jets deep into the postseason, and the roster is flawed. It seemed as though the message grew stale.

Trotz has long been lauded for understanding how to keep his message fresh. The 59-year-old is a proven winner, and as a proud Manitoban, he would bring some much-needed excitement back to the fanbase.

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Where do the Islanders go next?

When Trotz left Washington, he was replaced by assistant coach Todd Reirden. The Islanders could choose to go in a similar direction with Lane Lambert, Trotz's longtime right-hand man. Lambert has long been viewed as an up-and-coming coach, and some have wondered why he doesn't already have a head-coaching job.

Lambert, as well as the rest of the staff, is still under contract with the club, but Lamoriello said the new coach will get the final say on personnel. Lambert should be an option, but his time with Trotz dates back a decade to the Nashville Predators. Reirden didn't quite have the history that Lambert has.

One name to keep an eye on is Mike Babcock. This would be questionable given the allegations of abuse toward players that emerged after Babcock was fired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lamoriello worked with Babcock in Toronto, though, and he has gone back to the same coaching well on a few occasions (Jacques Lemaire, anyone?), so there is a familiarity.

The Philadelphia Flyers will not retain interim head coach Mike Yeo for the full-time role, general manager Chuck Fletcher announced Tuesday.

Yeo went 17-36-7 after replacing Alain Vigneault in December. The Flyers finished with a Metropolitan Division-low 61 points during the regular season, which was the league's fourth-worst total overall.

Yeo, 48, previously spent time as the head coach of the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues. He's made the playoffs four times in his coaching career but has never gotten past the second round.

Fletcher said it's possible Yeo returns to Philadelphia under the new head coach, but he's "free to speak to other teams." 

"We're going to put together an ideal candidate profile. At this stage all options are open. Once we build that candidate profile, we'll start reaching out to candidates," Fletcher said of the new head coach. "Clearly, we have to drill down on what we're looking for."

The Flyers have missed the playoffs each of the last two seasons. The 2021-22 campaign was a major step back from their 25-23-8 record a year ago; Fletcher says he plans an "aggressive retool" of the roster during the offseason. 

The Philadelphia Flyers are finalizing a trade that will send veteran forward Claude Giroux to the Florida Panthers, according to The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported Connor Bunnaman will join Giroux in heading south to Florida, while the Flyers will land Owen Tippett. The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor shared the full parameters:

Can confirm the final deal is:

Claude Giroux, a 2024 5th, Connor Bunnaman and German Rubtsov

for

2024 1st, 2023 3rd, and Owen Tippett.

— Charlie O'Connor (@charlieo_conn) March 19, 2022

The Flyers are sitting seventh in the Metropolitan Division with 49 points and will almost certainly miss the playoffs for the second straight season. Giroux, meanwhile, is in the final year of his eight-year, $66.2 million contract.

Combine the two factors, and the 34-year-old was an obvious candidate to get moved ahead of the NHL's trade deadline.

Because of his no-movement clause, the ball was largely in Giroux's court. He had spent his entire 15-year career in Philadelphia and didn't sound like he was jumping at the chance to leave at the first opportunity.

“Right now I am committed to this team”

-Captain Claude Giroux about possibly agreeing to be traded before the deadline next month

Flyers have lost 16 of 18 games. Chuck Fletcher said it will be Claude’s decision pic.twitter.com/GSLcsNk9w4

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 16, 2022

"I haven't had a chance to talk to [general manager Chuck Fletcher]," he told reporters on Feb. 17. "We have a lot of things to talk about, what's best for the Flyers organization, what's best for me, and we'll just go from there."

By Thursday, his departure looked inevitable.

Sources confirm @AntSanPhilly report that Flyers captain Claude Giroux will not be on team flight tonight and is staying in Philly after he played 1,000th game with Flyers

Trade possibly coming pic.twitter.com/w7OaTxpl9Z

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) March 18, 2022

The no-movement clause meant Giroux could basically pick his next destination. He had little incentive to sign off on a trade to another franchise languishing near the bottom of the standings.

Despite that and his impending free agency, the Flyers still stood to gain quite a bit from this trade.

Giroux was arguably the best forward on the market. Through 57 games, the seven-time All-Star has 18 goals and 24 assists. He also has a great track record in the playoffs, putting up 73 points (25 goals and 48 assists) in 85 appearances.

Look at this fantastic edge work from Claude Giroux (@28CGiroux)! pic.twitter.com/BdFDb2WeMe

— NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2021

Keeping him around with an eye toward having him spend his entire career in Philly would've made sense if that was the plan to which all parties agreed. This trade seems to send the message that the Flyers thought there was a chance he'd sign elsewhere in the offseason.

For Florida, Giroux will make an immediate impact in the forward line.

The Athletic's Charlie O'Connor wrote how the All-Star Game MVP is "not the same dynamic power-play weapon he once was" but pointed to how he has adapted his game to fit his current skill set:

He's more of a two-way threat, capable of helping his team both create and suppress scoring chances while still producing points at an impressive rate. This season, he ranks 46th out of 421 NHL forwards with at least 200 minutes played in isolated RAPM (Regularized Adjusted Plus-Minus) impact on his team's even-strength expected goal differential (89th percentile league-wide), and over the past three seasons, he's in the 94th percentile in that regard, grading out well offensively and defensively. He still takes risks, but he's dialed back his aggressiveness and is probably a more well-rounded player now than he was in his youth.

This is a clear signal of intent for the Panthers. Simply making the playoffs isn't enough. Anything short of a deep run in the postseason will be considered a disappointment.

Adding Giroux will undoubtedly help them in looking to achieve that goal.

He was only ever going to leave Philadelphia for a title contender, and Florida certainly fits that bill this year.

The team has an Eastern Conference-high 90 points, and DraftKings Sportsbook lists Andrew Brunette's squad as the second-betting favorite (+600; bet $100 to win $600) for the Stanley Cup behind the Colorado Avalanche.

The Panthers haven't won a playoff series since 1995-96, when they reached the Stanley Cup Final. General manager Bill Zito knows how important capitalizing on this season might be. Giroux could help put the organization over the top.

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle is the NHL's new iron man.

Yandle appeared in an NHL-record 965th consecutive game when he took the ice for Tuesday's contest against the New York Islanders. Former NHL forward Doug Jarvis held the previous record of 964 straight games during a streak that lasted from 1975 to 1987.

Congratulations Keith, on playing 965 consecutive games and becoming the NHL's new 'Ironman' leader! 💪

(🎨: @rbrunoill) pic.twitter.com/lT1czCRUUH

— NHL (@NHL) January 26, 2022

Yandle tied Jarvis' mark during Monday's loss to the Dallas Stars.

"It wasn't really something I expected," he told reporters. "I just kind of never really thought about it. I saw the guys standing for me, cheering. All the fans. It definitely meant a lot."

The defenseman first appeared in an NHL game in 2006-07, but the streak started in his third season in March 2009. He has not missed a single game since, though, as ESPN's Greg Wyshynski noted, there have been multiple "close calls."

The Florida Panthers nearly made him a healthy scratch at the start of the 2020-21 campaign, and he lost a number of teeth in November 2019 but played the following day after dental work.

Yandle has skated for the Phoenix/Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers, Panthers and Flyers throughout his career with this being his first season in Philadelphia. He entered Tuesday's contest with zero goals and 13 assists in 42 games to go with a plus-minus total of minus-22.

The defenseman was named to the All-Star Game in 2011, 2012 and 2019 but is more of a veteran presence in the back end of the depth chart for Philadelphia at 35 years old at this point of his career.

He also might have to keep playing for some time if he is going to hold on to his record because Arizona winger Phil Kessel has appeared in 940 consecutive games dating back to November 2009 when he was a member of the Boston Bruins before stints with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Despite Yandle's new record, the Flyers are just 13-21-8 and in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Keith Yandle has tied Doug Jarvis for the longest "Ironman" streak in NHL history, having played in 964 consecutive games. 

Jarvis played 964 straight games from Oct. 8, 1975, to Oct. 10, 1987. He did not miss a regular-season game from his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens through the end of the streak with the Hartford Whalers.

Yandle, meanwhile, has appeared in every game possible since March 26, 2009. 

964 games
12 years
4,687 total days
Four franchises
Parts of 14 seasons

Keith Yandle is now tied with Doug Jarvis for the longest “Ironman” streak in NHL history. #NHLStats: https://t.co/aootWvtFCq pic.twitter.com/gkzSipTrCp

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) January 25, 2022

When his streak started, Yandle was a member of the then-Phoenix Coyotes, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Since then, he has also played for the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers. 

Yandle's streak was almost ruined on multiple occasions. The Panthers considered making him a healthy scratch in the 2020-21 season, and he also had several teeth knocked out in a November 2019 game but returned that night wearing a cage and played the next day. 

Yandle signed a one-year, $900,000 deal to join the Flyers in July. He entered Monday's game against the Dallas Stars with 13 assists in 41 games. 

In 1,073 career games entering Monday, Yandle tallied 102 goals and 511 assists for 613 points.