The Philadelphia Flyers continue to address their coaching staff after having initially hired Rick Tocchet earlier this spring. With Tocchet behind the bench, he added Yogi Švejkovský and Jay Varady as his assistants, and now it’s looking like one more name will be added to the mix in Todd Reirden.
This report comes from Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli as Reirden looks to remain in the Metropolitan Division. The veteran coach started out his career with the Pittsburgh Penguins’ AHL affiliate in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins as an assistant for one season before being appointed as the head coach for 2 years.
His NHL career then took off as an assistant coach for the Penguins between 2010-11 to 2013-14 before being poached by their rivals in the Washington Capitals. He remained an assistant coach for 2 years before being promoted to associate coach for another 2 years and then finally head coach in 2018-19 and 2019-20.
In two seasons as head coach, Reirden posted an 89-46-16 record but lost in the first round both times. They lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in 7 games in 2019 after holding a 2-0 and 3-2 lead in the series before a gruelling double overtime loss in Game 7 – where they blew a 3-1 lead midway through the second period.
2020 was a little different in that it was the COVID-19 interrupted season. Washington was one of the four teams in taking part in the round robin tournament alongside the Flyers, Boston, and Tampa Bay. Unfortunately the Capitals finished third in the group and were forced into a battle with the New York Islanders, who dispatched them in 5 games.
Immediately after being let go by Washington, Reirden returned to Pittsburgh, where he spent 2020-21 and 2021-22 as an assistant coach and 2022-23 and 2023-24 as an associate coach. He was without a job this past season but looks set to be making a return with the Flyers.
On Pattison’s Anthony SanFilippo added to the news by saying that Reirden will be in charge of the team’s defense, a job that previously belonged to Brad Shaw before he found greener pastures in New Jersey earlier this spring.
Reirden brings a lot of experience to the table and he’s been apart of several successful clubs as either an assistant coach, associate coach, or even head coach. He won a Stanley Cup with the Capitals back in 2018 under Barry Trotz and worked for several years under the tutelage of Mike Sullivan.
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