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The Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> announced the hiring of Rick Tocchet as their new head coach on Wednesday, NHL.com confirmed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/template><\/p>\n News of Tocchet\u2019s hiring ended weeks of speculation following Tocchet stepping down from his former role as the Vancouver Canucks\u2019 bench boss. While Tocchet\u2019s hiring has been met with justifiable hoopla and hype, there is reason to believe the Flyers might have made a mistake in naming Tocchet as their new coach.<\/p>\n So, let\u2019s explore three reasons the Philadelphia Flyers<\/a> may have made a mistake in hiring Rick Tocchet as their new head coach.<\/p>\n One of the biggest criticisms of Tocchet\u2019s predecessor, John Tortorella, was his old-school approach to the game. Tortorella\u2019s hard-hitting, defense-first style didn\u2019t mesh well with the current crop of Flyers\u2019 players leading to discontent among players.<\/p>\n Like Tortorella, Rick Tocchet<\/a> brings a hard-nosed throwback style of play. As such, there is reason to doubt that a coach with a similar philosophy as Tortorella could make any significant headway next season.<\/p>\n While Tocchet\u2019s voice could spark a turnaround, there is no telling if Tocchet\u2019s influence will be enough to get the Flyers back into playoff contention.<\/p>\n This season, Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller starred in one of the NHL\u2019s most talked-about soap operas. The drama culminated with Miller being traded to the New York Rangers at the deadline.<\/p>\n Throughout the ordeal, Tocchet didn\u2019t seem too keen on diffusing the situation. Tocchet appeared more detached, often providing vague answers to questions, failing to deflect attention from the locker room drama and keeping the focus on the game.<\/p>\n In Philly, Tocchet will need to ensure that team chemistry remains positive. The Flyers can ill afford to let team chemistry go south at this point in the club\u2019s development.<\/p>\n Yes, Rick Tocchet had plenty of success as a player. He’s also won Cups as an assistant. But as a bench boss, he\u2019s yet to win anything meaningful. In his tenure as a head coach, he\u2019s only made the playoffs twice in nine seasons.<\/p>\n With the Canucks last season, Tocchet managed to get the team into the second round. Unfortunately, the Canucks regressed significantly this season, failing to make the postseason.<\/p>\n That lack of success could become a cloud hanging over his head until he finally breaks through and makes a deep playoff run. If that\u2019s the case, Tocchet will be able to shake off any doubters regarding his coaching legacy.<\/p>\n In the meantime, questions will abound regarding Tocchet\u2019s ability to get the most out of his teams. The Flyers<\/a> hope that Tocchet is the answer to the team\u2019s ongoing futility.<\/p>\n3 reasons why Philadelphia Flyers may have made a mistake in hiring Rick Tocchet<\/h2>\n
#3 He\u2019s an \u201cold-school\u201d coach much like John Tortorella<\/h3>\n
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#2 Tocchet\u2019s questionable relationships with players<\/h3>\n
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#1 He hasn\u2019t won anything yet<\/h3>\n
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