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Joel Farabee, Calgary Flames (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

Flames’ Joel Farabee Takes Shot at Former Head Coach John Tortorella

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Rupert McDonald | Last updated Mar 13, 2025 2:50 PM ET

It took some time for him to adjust, but things are going quite well for Joel Farabee as of late. The newly acquired Calgary Flames forward has scored in back-to-back games, one of which was a highlight reel tally that will be seen for weeks and months to come.

Most importantly, it seems as though Farabee is having fun again. The 25-year-old has always been a highly skilled player, but one who felt like he had hit a bit of a wall with the Philadelphia Flyers. It had become evident that he needed a change of scenery, and he got that when he and Morgan Frost were acquired by the Flames more than a month ahead of the trade deadline.

Farabee Happy With Bigger Role

A big part of Farabee needing a change was that he had seemingly fallen out of favour with Flyers head coach John Tortorella. Things seemed to go pretty smoothly for the two in 2023-24, where the 6-foot winger recorded a career-high 50 points. He struggled immensely this season, however, registering just 19 points through 50 games prior to being traded.

Farabee’s ice time had dropped over a minute this season compared to last, and he wasn’t being trusted in high-leverage situations. That isn’t the case with Calgary, as Ryan Huska had him on the ice late on Saturday versus the Montreal Canadiens with the Flames holding a 1-0 lead. Farabee seemed to be quite excited about that opportunity, and, though he said it somewhat jokingly, took a bit of a shot at his former coach when discussing the matter.

“It’s a real treat, honestly. I started my career in Philly as a guy that would kind of go out there in the last minute. When Torts came in, that was no longer,” Farabee said. “It’s really nice to be trusted to be out there. Playing with [Blake Coleman] and [Mikael Backlund], they make it real easy. They’re in the right spots out there. The amount of pucks they just touch or flag out, it is really impressive. They make it pretty easy.”

Though it was said tongue-in-cheek, you can’t help but feel there was some seriousness from Farabee. Oftentimes, skilled players like himself fall out of favour with the long-time and hard-nosed head coach, and it seems that was certainly the case with him.

Farabee Hitting His Stride

As is often the case, a player joining a new organization can take some time before he gets comfortable. Farabee was a non-factor early on in his Flames tenure, which is similar to how he played this season with the Flyers prior to the trade.

After a bit of a slow start, Farabee is finding his game as of late, having scored in each of his last two games. There could still be some ups and downs this season as he continues to get used to his new surroundings, but the Flames seem to have good young players in him and Frost that could wind up being with this organization for several seasons going forward.

Huska deserves plenty of credit for sticking with Farabee as well during his initial struggles. It’s evident in the situations he’s been thrown in that his new head coach believes in him, and the young forward, based on his comments, is not only aware but extremely appreciative. That should go a long way in helping him prove to the hockey world why he was selected 14th overall back in the 2017 Draft. Based on his usage thus far, Flames fans should expect to continue seeing him on the ice in all sorts of situations, both offensively and defensively, moving forward.