(Photo: Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f9f062e2-f245-4469-8925-5c1f0af2c446.jpeg] (Photo: Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images) Seven months after being fired by the Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers], longtime NHL head coach John Tortorella has resurfaced, joining ESPN as an NHL analyst for the 2025-26 season. Tortorella, 67, previously expressed interest in returning to coaching [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/john-tortorella-insists-he-never-quit-on-the-flyers] (while pushing back against narratives about his unceremonious exit from the Flyers), but it would appear that those aspirations are temporarily on hold. The three-year Flyers coach returns to ESPN for the first time since the 2021-22 season, which he spent as an analyst in between his stints with the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Flyers. Tortorella will feature as an analyst alongside Blake Bolden, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Ray Ferraro, Mark Messier, AJ Mleczko, T.J. Oshie, P.K. Subban, Kevin Weekes, and Dave Jackson. "John Tortorella returns to ESPN’s NHL studio coverage as an analyst this season, marking a homecoming to the team he first joined in 2021 when ESPN re-acquired NHL media rights," the ESPN press release [https://espnpressroom.com/us/press-releases/2025/10/espn-re-signs-nhl-commentators-bob-wischusen-cassie-campbell-pascall-p-k-subban-kevin-weekes-and-leah-hextall-to-multi-year-agreements/] said. "Known for his candid insights and authentic commentary, Tortorella will bring his deep understanding of the game as a veteran coach with 23 NHL seasons behind the bench, including leading the Tampa Bay Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship in the 2003-04 season." The 67-year-old spent three seasons in Philadelphia with the Flyers, compiling a 97-107-33 record. Regardless of any potential NHL opportunities, Tortorella will return to the bench in 2026 when he serves as an assistant coach for Team USA for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milan.
