Flyers to Hire Rick Tocchet as 25th Head Coach

As the coaching carousel turned and the pieces of the puzzle fell into place, all signs pointed to a familiar face being behind the bench for the Philadelphia Flyers.

Even before he was officially on the market, the speculation was soaring that Rick Tocchet was at the top of the list for the Flyers. But Tocchet was still unavailable, still weighing a decision to remain with the Vancouver Canucks.

When Tocchet officially declined an offer from Vancouver, as announced on April 29, the sense was that his heart was set on a job in another location, preferably on the East coast. Philadelphia was always the standout.

Now, it will soon become official. The Flyers are set to name Rick Tocchet as the 25th head coach in franchise history, according to multiple reports, notably ESPN's John Buccigross and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. On Pattison's Anthony SanFilippo reported that the terms of the deal will be "in the range" of five years, $25 million.

Tocchet, 61, has plenty of connections with Philadelphia. His NHL career started with the Flyers as a 1983 draft pick of the team. Tocchet spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Flyers before being traded to Pittsburgh in the 1991-92 season.

Tocchet spent part of three seasons in Pittsburgh. He also played in Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, and Phoenix before making a return to Philadelphia in the 1999-2000 season. He closed out his career with the Flyers in the 2001-02 season, finishing with 621 games played in Orange and Black, scoring 232 goals and 508 points. Tocchet played 1,144 games in his NHL career with 440 goals and 952 points.

Tocchet was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame in 2021.

Following his playing career, Tocchet ventured into coaching. He was an assistant coach for Colorado starting in the 2002-03 season. In 2005, he joined the Phoenix Coyotes as an assistant coach on Wayne Gretzky’s staff. 

Tocchet was named associate coach for the Tampa Bay Lightning on July 9, 2008. On Nov. 14, 2008, he took over as interim head coach after the firing of Barry Melrose. The interim tag was removed for the 2009-10 season. 

Following the 2009-10 season, Tocchet was relieved of his duties in Tampa Bay by the new ownership of the Lightning. He spent time following his coaching career in Tampa as a studio analyst locally on Flyers television coverage.

Tocchet was back on the bench for the 2014-15 season as an assistant coach with the Penguins. Under head coach Mike Sullivan, Tocchet was part of the back-to-back Stanley Cup championship teams in 2016 and 2017.

Tocchet joined the Arizona Coyotes ahead of the 2017-18 season as head coach. He spent five seasons in Arizona before the two sides mutually agreed to part ways after the 2020-21 season.

Again, Tocchet turned to TV following a coaching stint, joining the TNT crew in 2021. He was hired by the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 22, 2023. He helped the Canucks to a Pacific Division title in the 2023-24 season and was named the Jack Adams Award winner that season. 

After the Canucks missed the playoffs in a tumultuous 2024-25 season, Vancouver declined a club option for 2025-26 season to explore a long-term deal. Tocchet opted to explore other opportunities and turned down the offer.

Tocchet has 638 career games as head coach with a 286-265-87 record. He has two playoff appearances in his coaching career, including one series win. 

Kevin Durso is Flyers insider for 97.3 ESPN. Follow him on social media @Kevin_Durso.