The Daily: Guess Tortorella Isn’t Bad Fit in Philly; Hot Goalie Market

Jonathan Bailey of Philly Hockey Now makes the point that plenty of naysayers were wrong when they predicted coach John Tortorella would not be a good fit for a young, rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers team.

“Aren’t the Flyers rebuilding?,” Bailey wrote. “Tortorella was supposed to be a terrible fit for a young, rebuilding Philadelphia team. And yet, in the 2023-24 season, the exact opposite has been true. Where did this narrative around ‘Torts’ start, anyway?

Today, that young rebuilding team is 17-10-4,  ranking them 11th in the NHL. They are in second place in the Metropolitan Division.   They are 7-1-2 in their last 10 games.

“I wish I had him when I was 18 and coming in the league,” defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen said of his coach after the Flyers’ 1-0 win Saturday against Detroit. “It’s been fun working with him, and I feel like I’ve taken some big steps under him.”

The problem in CBJ is they had an unsustainable run in his second season, and their GM went all in the next two seasons, overestimating the talent. So far, Torts/Briere have been adamant that they're still rebuilding, and aren't fooled by the good start.

— Steve Isser (@SteveIsser) December 18, 2023

Red Wings in Case You Missed It

• Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine is ready to take on the world at the WJC. He is progressing nicely in his first season at Michigan State.
• The only good news in the Red Wings’ 1-0 loss to Philadelphia is that Ville Husso played sharply in net.
• Patrick Kane is proving that he is still a dangerous offensive player, even if the puck isn’t going in.

Red Wings Next Game

The Red Wings (15-11-4) are home to play the Anaheim Ducks (11-19-0) Monday. The Ducks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 5-1 win against the New Jersey Devils Sunday. The Red Wings should have some information about goalie Alex Lyon who was injured in the loss to Philly. Regardless of Lyon’s status, Husso is the logical choice to start against the Ducks. He’s coming off a strong relief effort against Anaheim.

Hockey Now Network

Boston: David Pastrnak wasn’t suspended for his boarding major against Ryan Lindgren. Boston Bruins

Colorado: Game seems slow for red-hot Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon.

Florida: Colby Guy writes that it’s impossible to measure the impact that Sasha Barkov has on the Florida Panthers.

Montreal: The goalie market is hot right now, with multiple teams looking for goalie help. Every team passed on Antti Raanta on waivers. Montreal Canadiens goalie Jake Allen or Cayden Primeau are trade targets. MHN points out that teams only have three days to act or they will have to wait until the NHL holiday roster freeze ends on Dec. 28. It starts on Dec. 20