Philadelphia Flyers already turning on John Tortorella as Kevin Hayes shares his opinion on being healthy scratched
On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Flyers and John Tortorella made headlines by opting to healthy scratch their leading scorer, Kevin Hayes.
Hayes leads the team in scoring this year, earning 9 goals and 29 total points in 31 games. Offensively, he's producing at a career-best rate, on one of the worst editions of the Flyers to boot. However, Tortorella is still demanding more from his top player.
When asked about his decision to scratch Hayes prior to the game, Tortorella's response indicated he's unhappy with Hayes' defensive play.
Today at practice, Hayes openly criticized Tortorella's decision in an extremely direct quote for a hockey player.
I'm never going to say there's a benefit to being benched. I don't think I should have been benched, but it's not my decision. He's the coach. I'm a player. He makes the lineup. He wants the best team on the ice to ultimately win, and that's what he wanted that night.
You can be benched and everyone writes about being better defensively,» he said. «I try every night to be the best player I can be, and some nights it goes well for me, some nights it doesn't. I try to be consistent. He felt I was doing worse for the team than better, so he decided not to play me.
Hayes is supposed to be veteran player and locker room leader for a young, rebuilding Flyer team - and this comment and attitude flies in the face of that role. Hayes is the leading scorer on the worst team in the league, and that sort of disappointing accomplishment should not be met with praise, nor should Hayes expect praise from John Tortorella.
Tortorella was hired with a reputation that preceded him, to coach a team that was obviously not in contention for more than 25 wins. His purpose in coaching this team is to develop a winning culture for future Flyers, one that does not tolerate defensive liabilities regardless of their points or contract status.
| POLL | ||
Will John Tortorella last this season in Philadelphia? | ||
| No, he's going to be fired | 77 | 46.7 % |
| Yes, he'll be around for the entire year | 88 | 53.3 % |
| List of polls | ||
