Metro Division notes: Flyers hire Tocchet, Isles win Schaefer sweepstakes

The off-season is yet to officially begin but Metro Division teams are still making headlines off of the ice.

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The NHL off-season is yet to begin but Metro Division teams are still making news off of the ice.

Let’s take a closer look.

Flyers hire Rick Tocchet

The Philadelphia Flyers hired Rick Tocchet in the most predictable move the NHL has ever seen.

Tocchet recently departed the Vancouver Canucks’ organization, turning down a lucrative long-term deal to instead pursue other opportunities.

I think that says a lot about the state of the Canucks and all the noise surrounding it, be it Elias Pettersson’s unfathomable drop-off or the lingering feeling it’s a matter of when, not if, Quinn Hughes leaves (and joins the Devils).

But back to the Flyers. I have very mixed feelings about the hiring.

On one hand, Tocchet deserves credit for helping a ‘meh’ Canucks lineup post a .607 points percentage over the last couple of years. Pretty impressive given the roster wouldn’t wow anybody and this season, in particular, there was non-stop drama.

On the other, a lot of the team’s success seemed to stem from finishing at a historically high rate. That’s not something that can be relied upon year-over-year, especially if the roster isn’t loaded with firepower. The Flyers, well, are not.

I’m not sure a low-event coach who relies more on clinical finishing than generating volume is an ideal fit for a Flyers squad that a) lacks offensive firepower and; b) doesn’t get saves.

Not to mention, Tocchet feels like more of the same as what they just moved on from in John Tortorella.

He’s a hard-nosed, defense-first coach who wants his teams to play physically and won’t shy away from publicly putting players – or the team – on blast.

That can quickly grow tiresome and Flyers players may be more susceptible to getting frustrated having already dealt with that for several years.

I’m not suggesting Tocchet is a bad coach or will be a disaster in Philadelphia. I get the appeal, especially given the Flyers take pride in playing lunch-pail style and Tocchet has a history with the team.

I just think they’d have benefited from a different approach.

Isles land top pick