Flyers Nearing Deal to Hire Rick Tocchet As Next Head Coach

Tocchet was dismissed by the Canucks on April 29.

Rick Tocchet coaches the Canucks against the Avalanche. / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

After a disappointing 2025 season, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to have zeroed in on their next head coach.

The Flyers are on the verge of hiring Rick Tocchet as their next boss, according to a Wednesday morning report from Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Per LeBrun, the deal is "not quite done yet... but headed in that direction."

Tocchet, 61, played parts of 11 seasons as a right wing for Philadelphia—beginning his career with the team in 1985 and ending it with the Flyers in 2002.

The Ontario native has spent nine seasons as a head coach, most recently for the Vancouver Canucks from 2023 to '25. Tocchet led the Canucks to a 50-23-9 mark in 2024, but was dismissed after the Canucks regressed in 2025.

Deal is still not finalized yet but Flyers are zeroing in on hiring Rick Tocchet as head coach. Again, still not quite done yet. But headed in that direction. Could be finalized later today or tomorrow.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 14, 2025

Philadelphia, which has not made the playoffs since 2020, went 97-107-33 in three years under coach John Tortorella. It finished 33-39-10 this season—regressing after it cracked .500 in '24.

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