The Flyers made changes to their defensive structure that Rick Tocchet thinks will ‘help in the long run’

TORONTO ― Heading into the holiday break, the Flyers ranked ninth-best in the NHL at 2.75 goals against per game.

Then the wheels started to fall off.

Thanks in part to a six-game losing streak that saw them allow a league-worst 31 goals while scoring 12, the Flyers’ goals-against average ballooned to 3.90. Between Christmas and the Olympic break, it was the third-highest.

Woof. That’s quite a plummet.

» READ MORE: Rasmus Ristolainen is again the subject of trade rumors. But this year could be different.

So with time off, first-year coach Rick Tocchet and his staff went to work and modified the defensive structure.

“We’re not strict man on man, but we’re trying to be more aggressive,” he said of the new system. “When you’re a younger team, I think you’ve got to give guys a little more, simpler rules.

“I think that’s why I’ve decided to go a little bit differently, less reach for our team; I think that’s going to help in the long run. Now, when we change things a little bit — say graduate — we’ll go a little bit more complex, but I think right now, we’ve got to play simpler."

When Tocchet came to Philly, he brought his box-and-one defensive structure. During training camp, he called it “a very aggressive zone” defense where he wanted his players to double and triple up when they could to keep the puck on the outside.

It worked. Until it didn’t.

The opposition started to get inside, taking advantage of breakdowns and scoring more weak-side or backdoor goals. According to Natural Stat Trick, at five-on-five, up to the holiday break in December, the Flyers allowed the fifth-fewest high-danger chances (301) and second-fewest high-danger goals (26).

From late December to the Olympic break, they still held tight, allowing the second-fewest high-danger chances (158). But they also gave up 26 goals, the fifth-most in the league. That’s a 16% shooting percentage in 20 games, rising from 8.6% across the first 36.

“It’s pretty similar,” defenseman Travis Sanheim said of the new system, “just a couple of different reads for the forwards and helping us pressure down low. So, just end up killing plays a little bit quicker.”

Changing a system, even slightly, is a big deal because one misread or forgotten change can cause some havoc. It’s still a work in progress, but in the three games since returning to action, the high-danger shooting percentage has dropped to 12.5% for opponents (three goals on 24 high-danger chances). On Saturday against the Boston Bruins, they allowed five high-danger chances at five-on-five, with the Bruins’ lone goal considered high-danger by Natural Stat Trick; it came off a hard seam pass that hit the leg of Charlie McAvoy and bounced in.

“I think it might cut down on some of those weak-side goals, because [there’s] a little bit more man-to-man in certain scenarios,” Sanheim said. “And I think when it comes to some of those weak-side goals, that’s kind of been our issue with some of the reads. And if we can limit that, that would be huge for us.”

Forward Travis Konecny did not participate in power-play practice at morning skate, and according to Tocchet is a game-time decision. ... Dan Vladař will get the start in goal. It will be his third start in four games since the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympic break, and he is coming off a masterful performance in the Flyers’ win against the Bruins on Saturday. ... Forward Denver Barkey is expected back in the lineup on Monday after being a healthy scratch on Saturday against the Bruins. A native of Newmarket, Ontario, which is part of the Greater Toronto Area, the winger will have a large contingent in attendance for his first NHL game at Scotiabank Arena. ... It is also the first game back in Toronto for Nikita Grebenkin, who was acquired March 7, 2025, in the deal that sent Scott Laughton north. ... Defenseman Noah Juulsen did not participate in morning skate due to illness. ... On Sunday, the Flyers acquired forward Boris Katchouk, 27, from the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Roman Schmidt, who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Dec. 8. Katchouk has spent the majority of the season in the American Hockey League and was acquired by the Wild from the Lightning in late December. The 6-foot-2, 212-pound winger has 36 points across 179 NHL games with the Lightning, Chicago Blackhawks, and Ottawa Senators. Katchouk was also a member of the 2018 World Junior team that won gold for Canada.