Flyers’ Tortorella: ‘I Think There Needs to be Some Subtraction’

Toward the end of his media availability Monday, Philadelphia Flyers coach John Tortorella delivered a cryptic message about the offseason.

After saying he was encouraged by the development of some of the young players, he also noted that “some of them have grown, and some of them haven’t. Some of the veteran guys haven’t.

“For me, the next step with this organization is that you don’t start adding players until you subtract players,” he added. “I think there needs to be some subtraction. Those will be in discussions at the end of the year.”

On Twitter, fans submitted their “subtraction” candidates to the veteran coach and interim general manager Danny Briere.

One fan (@EricSGolden) wanted the “entire coaching staff” gone and “three-quarters of the roster.”

Another fan (@JBPhi) said Kevin Hayes, Tony DeAngelo and Felix Sandstrom were among those whose days were numbered.

@Quinn80s noted that James van Riemsdyk’s contract comes off the books, and said Hayes needs to be traded, along with DeAngelo, and either Ivan Provorov or Travis Sanheim. “If they can move those guys and bring in a free agent and open up a couple more spots for young guys, I think it’s a good offseason,” he said.

Someone with the Twitter handle @thereaLcbraster had another idea:

Comcast Spectacor, every single old guard front office person who has any voice in anything, most of Fletcher's decisions (DeAngelo, Deslauriers, Risto, Hayes)

— Chris Braster (@therealcbraster) March 20, 2023

Provorov, Hayes, and DeAngelo seemed to be the most popular choices to get traded, according to the fans. Those three players will have a combined cap hit of nearly $19 million next season.

Rasmus Ristolainen was also a popular choice to get dealt. After this season, he has an annual cap hit of $5.1 million for four more years.

Who isn’t a candidate is the question.

— Erik Drew (@e_drew24) March 20, 2023

@CJDougherty91 said anyone should be traded except Carter Hart, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Owen Tippett, and Joel Farabee. “And those guys are all negotiable,” he wrote.

The Philadelphia Flyers will miss the playoffs for the third straight season, the first time that has happened since the early 1990s.

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