Apr 9, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Tyson Foerster (71) celebrates his goal against the New York Rangers with right wing Bobby Brink (10), left wing Noah Cates (27) and defenseman Travis Sanheim (6) during the third period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Schneidler-Imagn Images
VOORHEES, N.J. - If coaching hockey were akin to comedy, most coaches would prefer a sitcom formula. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet would prefer improv.
"I hate robotic teams," Tocchet said after Tuesday's Training Camp session.
While many coaches preach systems and structure as if it's coming from a hockey bible, Tocchet is not that.
He believes that sometimes players are a victim of their own routine. It's easy to get lost in the concept of a team's structure or system and not take advantage of the play that's right in front of you.
Tocchet doesn't want the Flyers to be conservative. He wants them to be aggressive - but a smart aggressive.
"A lot of guys automatically go low-to-high, when a lot of times you don't really have to go low," Tocchet said. "There's nobody around you. There's times to attack the interior, and whatever the coverage is, you got to make your play.
"It's funny, I tell the players, '80% it's the system, 20% it's got to be... if we feel we can attack the interior, and the other team wants to take that away, well that's when you want to go low to high. That's the details we want to preach around here."
In short, Tocchet wants them to not be shy about going after a play, if it's there to make.
And it's because of that that he thinks players like Noah Cates, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink can take that next step in their evolution this year.
That line was a find for former coach John Tortorella last season, and was the team's most consistent line. They played very sound defense together and were always in the right spot in the ice. They created some good offense while out there too, but definitely within the structure that Tortorella and his coaches preached.
Tocchet feels they can still be a responsible group, but that they can provide a little more offensively too by not being slaves to the structure.
"With a guy like Noah, I don't want him just to be that's his playbook," Tocchet said. "He can have his own playbook too. Yeah, we like certain things, but if he sees something I want him to go for it, and I don't want him to be robotic."
Cates, who had an offensive breakout last season with a career high 16 goals, feels he has more to give, and feels like playing the way Tocchet is asking him to play will allow him to do that.
Noah Cates showing some skill. pic.twitter.com/KdFBYEsjPZ
"I think my offense comes from structure and details - being in the right spots and being smart rather than going through a guy or beating a guy," Cates said. "(But) I see them talking about kind of a guy standing on the far side - on the one-timer side - maybe opening up and balancing the offense.
"It's not just getting guys to the net. Obviously someone needs to do that, but you know if one of the guys is going to the net, you can maybe find some space on the weak side or find something back door."
Foerster also had a career high in goals (25) and points (43) last season, and the Flyers believe there's more there. He has been cleared for contact in training camp and the Flyers are now optimistic about his ability to play at the start of the season, after his chances looked grim back in June and July.
Brink had a career high in points with 41 and matched a career-best with 12 goals.
But that was all within the very rigid structure Tortorella had in place. Under Tocchet, there will be more room for creativity and the players will have more input on how that can fit within the framework of the structure, with collaborative conversations with Tocchet and the rest of the coaching staff.
"It's the way they go about it too," said Travis Konecny. "In the drills, it's not just like (the puck) goes to the D and everyone crashes the net. There's a way of going about it. Certain guys are reading off of who goes where. There's a structure to the offense to, which is interesting. It's something I've never (experienced) before."
Konecny thinks that guys like Cates and Forester are poised for bigger breakouts this season because of this, because it'll allow responsible players some freedom to be creative while not abandoning defensive posture.
holy moly tyson foerster pic.twitter.com/gQFHcSy1OI
"(Foerster's) just a player that I think is overlooked by a lot of people," Konecny said. "Someday, people are going to be worried about playing against him. He's such a good player. He's so smart and he has all the tools to really play anywhere he needs to play.
"Cates is very similar to the way I talk about Tyson. It's a different style of how they play the game, but the sky's the limit for (Cates). A lot of people think of him like he's the safety guy because he's always in the right spots, but the skill he has and the way he learns and listens and wants to get better... as far as offensive zone play, he's probably our best forward."
Konecny pointed out that Cates is really good at puck protection, winning puck battles on rims along the wall and being hard on his stick.
"It's going ot be a big year for him, too, I think. That whole line. Bobby, too. There's a lot of potential."
And if they play the way Tocchet wants them to play, with a little more creativity, they could elevate the Flyers into more than just a bubble playoff team next spring.
