John Tortorella is Going to Need to Bench a Flyers Player Soon, and it Should be Cam Atkinson
One of the biggest supporters of the Flyers hiring of John Tortorella as coach a couple summers ago was Cam Atkinson.
Atkinson, coming off a 50-point season in his first year with the Flyers, couldn’t speak highly enough about Torts as a coach. Anyone who asked would get the equivalent of an ode to the 10th-winningest coach in NHL history.
And why not? Atkinson had the best years of his career playing for Torts in Columbus. He was a guy who excelled in Torts’ system. He scored 154 goals in six seasons with Torts at the helm. So, it’s no surprise that he wanted to build off a solid first season with the Flyers by having the coach with whom he’s experienced the most success.
But the opportunity to play for the man again was derailed and delayed by a full year, as Atkinson missed the entire 2022-23 season with a neck injury that nearly cost him the use of his arm.
He recovered and got himself ready for this season, and at first it seemed like the 34-year-old vet was going to pick up right where he left off with Torts in 2020-21, their last season together in Columbus.
Atkinson compiled eight goals and 12 points in the Flyers’ first 15 games this season, a pace that would have carried him to a career-high in goals (44). All seemed right in Atkinson’s hockey world. And then it suddenly seemed like Atkinson flipped into an alternative hockey universe.
No scoring. No production. Bad penalties. Subpar play. It came out of nowhere.
Since he last scored a goal (Nov. 11), Atkinson has played in 22 games. He has just six points – all assists. The 22-game goalless drought is the longest of his career. He’s been moved down the lineup and is playing on the third line and on the second power play unit – which is pretty damning when you have the worst power play in the entire league.
It’s not like he’s not getting chances to score. He is. Maybe more than ever. He’s just not finishing:
Cam Atkinson has seen his on ice and individual shot/chance generation numbers rise to a level comparable to his best years with CBJ.He has the worst S% of his career at 7.34% and his oiSH% is also very low (8.22%). pic.twitter.com/SAyDvPI5cV
— Josh Hutchinson (@JustJoshin41) January 1, 2024
The frustration is mounting. Not only is Atkinson not scoring, but now he’s starting to take penalties. He’s had five minor penalties in the last six games. He had two in the first 31 contests.
The most recent penalty, a lazy tripping minor Tuesday, late in the second period against Edmonton, led to what was eventually the game-winning goal for the Oilers in a 5-2 loss. The Flyers had clawed their way back into a game in which they trailed 2-0, only to give it away with Atkinson’s penalty allowing the lethal Edmonton power play to have yet another opportunity to score.
Torts talked about having a sit down with Atkinson when the team was home before Christmas. He said they have an understanding of where each other is at the moment. Torts expressed repeatedly though that Atkinson needs to score. It’s why he’s in the lineup.
He’s given Atkinson far more rope than he has most anyone else on the team. And while veteran players deserve a little more leeway because they have some cache in form of their track record, the Flyers are reaching an important stage with their locker room right now.
All we’ve heard is how together they are. How they all want to play for one another. How their room is the best it’s been in years. That’s not a lie. It really is that close-knit.
But this year’s team hasn’t had to deal with a whole lot of adversity. Losing five-of-six, which is the skid they are on, is really their first gut check this season.
Which is why Torts has to manage the roster delicately so as to not undo all the good that has been built in that room.
Cam Atkinson. Great guy. Works hard. He’s really struggling. Badly.
— Jimmy Puckets (@UncleButsy) January 3, 2024
Noah Cates has been skating with the team on the road trip. He is very close to returning from his foot injury. When he comes back, someone has to go out of the lineup.
Torts went with just 11 forwards against Edmonton, installing an extra defenseman in Marc Staal into the lineup in place of Nick Deslauriers – likely as a counter to the Oilers speed – and Staal scored his first goal as a Flyer, so that worked out.
brother you have to let cam atkinson chill for a game if marc staal is going low glove for shits and giggles
— Smooth Jazz Palminteri (@arossi417) January 3, 2024
But it shouldn’t be assumed that Cates’ return means Deslauriers is going to be the guy in the press box and that’s that.
Cates is a center. He’s likely coming back into that role. Right now Sean Couturier is locked in as a definite No. 1 center. Morgan Frost has been the No. 2 with Ryan Poehling at No. 3 and Scott Laughton at No. 4. Bringing Cates back likely slides Poehling back to the fourth line and moves Laughton back to the wing.
Laughton isn’t coming out of the lineup. He hasn’t had as good a season as he did a year ago, but he’s such a key part of the Flyers penalty kill, which is among the best in the sport, and he’s a solid 5-on-5 forward and is the de facto team captain, so he’s going to play on the wing somewhere.
Which is where things get interesting from the who gets scratched perspective.
Torts could make a case to scratch Bobby Brink, who shines in spurts, but too often gets lost in the shuffle and you don’t really notice him on the ice. And that would be the easy call, because he was always the surprise young forward on the roster this season.
Tyson Foerster has had a steep drop off after starting his season so well. He has slowly been demoted down from the top line to the second line and now the third line as well, playing opposite Atkinson. He too could see a game or two in the press box.
But does scratching either of those guys while letting Atkinson continue to flounder sit well with players? Do they view it as a coaching injustice? Would they respond by playing harder as way to prove to the coach that they aren’t happy with veteran favoritism when all the coach preaches is accountability?
All good questions.
Maybe Torts knows his team well enough and knows that scratching a Brink or a Foerster instead of Atkinson would light a collective fire.
Or, what if he decides to bench Atkinson, and build some more buy-in equity from the team as he shows that he can even bench a guy who many have claimed to be a personal favorite of the coach?
From this perspective, that’s the way to go. It’s not an indictment of Atkinson. It’s not suggesting he be put in street clothes for the rest of the season. No. It’s merely a suggestion of holding a veteran accountable when the team is going through it as a way of keeping the collective focus where it needs to be – on themselves.
Love the guy, but Cam Atkinson has been actively hurting this hockey team. #Flyers
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) January 3, 2024
Accountability is the only way out of a slump. And when fingers are pointed at some when there are others as deserving if not more, that slump can spiral.
This may seem like a typical coaching decision that crops up for every team multiple times in a season, but this one feels a little more important for the Flyers and for Torts to get it right.
Keep building. Keep the positive momentum. Don’t do something that will bring questions from within, let alone questions from outside voices like mine. Just do what’s right and ask Cam, politely, to take a seat for a game or five.
If Torts doesn’t, benches a younger player, and the team comes out of their slide, then I’ll admit I’m wrong, I’ll own the responsibility for having a bad take. Just like any good, veteran teammate should, as well.