NHL Hot Seat Radar: Flyers' Rick Tocchet Must Rebound From This Week

The NHL is about to go through its Olympic break. But the pressure on NHL figures never ceases.

That means it's time once again for TheHockeyNews.com's Hot Seat Radar. 

As always, we're not necessarily focusing on people who are in imminent danger of being fired or traded, but there has to be some sort of pressure change for them. That's why Philadelphia Flyers coach Rick Tocchet not only has to remedy his team's struggles in the standings but also with a potentially tense situation with one of his young star players.

So, with that said, here are the three NHL figures on this week's Hot Seat Radar:

The Flyers came out of the gate this season relatively strongly, posting a 14-7-3 record through the end of November – and Tocchet was getting major praise in his initial time behind Philadelphia's bench.

But since then, the bottom has fallen out for the Flyers, as they've gone 3-8-3 since Jan. 7. Consequently, Tocchet has had some of his choices questioned – particularly, his relationship with sophomore star Matvei Michkov.

Michkov has played 14:45 or less in six of his last 10 games, and his offensive totals are suffering accordingly. Tocchet has to find a solution that allows Michkov to play more frequently, but the bigger challenge is improving his offense and defense, both ranked tied for 21st in the NHL.

The Flyers are still in the early stages of a full rebuild, but there's enough talent there for Philly to be better than they've looked of late. And Tocchet has to show he's got the answers to get his team back in the mix for a Stanley Cup playoff wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.

Flyers GM Daniel Briere doesn't have unreasonable expectations for his team, but Philadelphia should rank higher than 14th in the East, so Tocchet has to engineer a turnaround in short order or hear it even more from Flyers fans.

Since the Devils selected him first overall pick in 2019, Hughes has been a cornerstone component of New Jersey's blueprint for success.

Unfortunately, staying healthy has proven difficult for the 24-year-old. Hughes has only played more than 62 games in a single season just once since the COVID-19-affected campaigns. And this year, Hughes has appeared in only 36 of the team's 56 games due to a freak off-ice accident and a lower-body injury this week.

You can't fault Hughes for his bad luck on the health front, but it's also understandable to wonder whether New Jersey can continue to build around a player who can't stay healthy. And really, the optics of Hughes recently saying he has nothing to say to angry Devils fans while the team is struggling earned him a spot on the Hot Seat Radar.

The Devils are sinking once again in the standings, sitting second-last in the Eastern Conference. As much as Hughes' injuries can be unlucky, the team needs a consistently healthy core that gives it a chance to make the playoffs and win rounds. Otherwise, GM Tom Fitzgerald needs to tweak his core to get what the team needs, and the pressure is on Jack Hughes to be part of the solution.

The Mammoth currently sit in the first wild-card position in the West, but that's about as good as they can hope for this season, given that the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are all at least 13 points ahead of Utah.

Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators are only five points behind the Mammoth, with a game in hand on Utah. And the ninth-place Los Angeles Kings are four points behind the Mammoth, with two games in hand on Utah.

Thus, the heat is on Tourigny to steer the Mammoth in a good direction, because it's time this group starts making the playoffs.

Utah's 11-3-1 record in its past 15 games cancelled out its 4-10-3 stretch from November to December.

Tourigny – who is in his fifth year with the group that's played in Arizona and Utah – won't get much more time to show he can guide the Mammoth to the franchise's first playoff berth since the 2019-20 campaign. If he can't do that, it's difficult to see Utah GM Bill Armstrong sticking with Tourigny beyond this season.

Only three coaches have more tenure than Tourigny, and two of those coaches – Avalanche coach Jared Bednar and Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper – have won Cups. So, like virtually every coach, Tourigny is working on borrowed time. And though he is under contract through the 2026-27 season, Tourigny needs a playoff berth as much as just about any coach.

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