Skip to content
Sports
Link copied to clipboard

Tyson Foerster has impressed the Flyers and coach John Tortorella in a short period of time

Though he could help the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during their playoff push, Foerster will continue to earn top-six minutes as long as he's up with the Flyers.

Tyson Foerster notched his first NHL point Friday night.
Tyson Foerster notched his first NHL point Friday night.Read moreMatt Slocum / AP

In coach John Tortorella’s eyes, rookie Tyson Foerster is still just a “tall drink of water.”

The just-turned-21-year-old has nearly 200 pounds on his 6-foot-2 frame, but Tortorella thinks he’s still going to “fill into his body more” and get stronger. It’s been an ongoing process for Foerster, who has already drastically changed his body since he was drafted.

Despite the room for growth, Foerster has impressed his new coach in just four NHL games. The No. 1 thing Tortorella has noticed is that Foerster’s shot comes as advertised.

“He rips a shot the other night,” Tortorella said March 14, referencing the March 9 game against the Carolina Hurricanes. “And I know he has a good shot, but it kind of shocked me, too.”

» READ MORE: Sources: Three Flyers legends had no say in Danny Brière’s promotion or Chuck Fletcher’s firing

Hours later, Foerster showed off his shot again, blasting a rebound at the post on a power play against the Vegas Golden Knights. Foerster had two more chances Friday against the Buffalo Sabres. While he missed both again, he recorded his first NHL point when Joel Farabee scored on his rebound.

“I’m really happy for him to get his first point and really happy I can be a part of it, too,” Farabee said.

Tortorella has given Foerster a lot of responsibility despite his lack of experience. He sent him out on the top power play unit, which broke its scoring drought with him out there Friday night. Tortorella has also pitted Foerster against opponents’ top lines and top players.

Foerster’s nerves have been evident on both sides of the ice, but Tortorella likes how he’s handled himself. Right now, it’s obvious Foerster is more comfortable on the outside when he has the puck on his stick — “you can see there, he’s a little tight around the net with the puck” — but he’s clearly growing more comfortable overall. Tortorella doesn’t feel the need to address that yet, saying he trusts Foerster will figure it out with experience.

Foerster has continued to earn top-six minutes for the Flyers — as long as he’s with them. Tortorella just doesn’t know how long that will be. While he deserves to play with them right now, Foerster also would help Lehigh Valley Phantoms in their playoff race.

» READ MORE: Flyers weighing the value of NHL experience vs. a Phantoms playoff run for prospects

Not just fatigue

You can talk about how bad the Flyers’ record is on the second night of back-to-backs all you want, Tortorella said, but the reality is their record, in general, is bad.

The Flyers are 2-10 in the second games. They also have a losing record on the road (12-16-7). And they have a losing record at home (13-16-4).

Yes, they need to get better in back-to-backs, but it’s not something Tortorella is going to “pick apart.”

“I’m not even going to the back-to-backs,” Tortorella said. “We need to get consistent on winning hockey games, period.”

While players might not be at their freshest when playing two games in two days, Tortorella said it doesn’t come down to conditioning or energy levels. For this team, it’s been about decision-making and situational awareness.

“It has to do with managing periods, meaning your managing your shifts, your shift lengths, are you matching?” Tortorella said. “There’s a lot of things that come into play in back-to-backs, and quite honestly, being tired is probably lowest on the list.”

The Flyers have to work on their consistency in general, and as that comes, their consistency in back-to-backs should improve with it.

Breakaways

The Flyers host the Carolina Hurricanes at 5 p.m. Saturday. ... Felix Sandström starts in net. ... Tortorella said “We’ll see” about the lines.