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Eastern Conference Team Closing In on Hiring Rick Tocchet

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated May 14, 2025 12:28 PM ET

It appears that a deal is almost done between Rick Tocchet and the Philadelphia Flyers, as it is expected he will be named their head coach soon.

The Philadelphia Flyers will hire Rick Tocchet as their new head coach , Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports, as well as Frank Seravalli.

ESPN's John Buccigross hinted at the team making that decision on Tuesday, and now confirmation appears imminent.

This move is no surprise. After the split with John Tortorella at the end of the year, general manager Daniel Brière and the Flyers' front office were quickly rumored to be in talks with Tocchet soon after.

Although Friedman earlier said that talks were dragging on longer than expected following Tocchet's resignation with the Canucks, he was still one of the Flyers' best candidates throughout the search.

Tocchet is definitely not unfamiliar in Philadelphia. He skated for the Flyers in pieces of 11 seasons during his 18-year career in the NHL, earning 508 points in 621 contests, where he sits at 16th in Flyers history.

Tocchet was once an assistant coach for the Flyers

His career as an assistant coach has not brought him back to the Flyers yet, but it is about to again. He takes over a roster still in rebuilding mode but wanting to quicken the process.

As he did in his previous coaching jobs with the Coyotes and Canucks, Tocchet takes over a roster built around skilled youngsters, headed by young gun Matvei Michkov, and complemented by grizzled veterans like Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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