Can Flyers' Head Coach Tortorella Do the Same Thing for Jamie Drysdale as he did for Zach Werenski

Tortorella helped Werenski early in his career...can he do the same for Drysdale now?

To say that Jamie Drysdale’s career in the NHL has gotten off to a tricky start would be a massive understatement. From having his junior career with the Erie Otters suddenly end due to Covid to overcoming various injuries to being traded, there have been no shortage of big events to deal with.

Drysdale came to the Flyers as part of the deal that saw Cutter Gauthier go to the Anaheim Ducks. With the trade came dealing with a new head coach. But it wasn’t just any head coach. It was one of the most defensive-minded coaches in John Tortorella.

Tortorella has been down this path before in working with young offensive defensemen. Whether it was Dan Boyle in Tampa Bay or Zach Werenski in Columbus, Tortorella got them each at a point when defense was very much a work in progress.

Tortorella’s Previous Impact

In Boyle’s case, he started his career with the Florida Panthers before coming to the Lightning. He became a dependable two-way defensemen. He won a Stanley Cup in 2003-04. In total, Boyle scored 605 points in 1093 NHL games. But it wasn’t until Tortorella got him that he started to take off.

For Werenski, Tortorella was his first NHL head coach. He was a highly-regarded offensive defenseman who was a work in progress defensively. Tortorella then used the term “rover” to describe how he utilized Werenski. The goal was to have him utilize his offensive game while trying to meet the coach halfway away from the puck.

While Tortorella and Werenski had their share of battles, Werenski still to this day credits Tortorella for the impact he has had on his career. Now in the midst of a career season and a spot on Team USA for the Four Nations, the coach on Tuesday couldn’t help but notice how great the defenseman has been of late.

“He’s having a hell of a year,” Tortorella said. “When I got him, he comes out of college. He’s a little bit older than some kids but still needed to mature. I think the biggest thing with Werenski early on in his career was just teaching him that he had to defend a little bit too. He’s a special player. We wanted him to be a rover. He’s a rover. He’s dynamite that way.”

“It’s no secret me and Torts had a great relationship,” Werenski said. “I’m a big fan of his. I owe him a lot. I think having him as a young guy in this league and the standard he set and just what he demands of his players, I thought it was great for me to learn at a young age. I’m a totally different player now than when I played for him just based on years of experience and age. But I definitely owe him a lot on how I approach the game nowadays for sure.”

Zach Werenski is who he is today thanks in large part to the influence of John Tortorella.

Drysdale now has the same opportunity that both Boyle and Werenski had. He gets to learn from Tortorella how to become a more complete defenseman.

There is a chance that Drysdale could follow in Werenski’s footsteps. Drysdale spoke exclusively to the Hockey Writers about his early time with the Flyers and being able to work with Tortorella. We also got Tortorella’s thoughts on Drysdale. You will quickly notice a pattern based on what the coach said.

Drysdale Settling In

For Drysdale, having some normalcy in his life has made a world of difference. Having to deal with multiple injuries can quickly put a halt to any momentum. He’s very happy to be back and in a good place overall.

“Oh man. I’d say it’s as good as it can be going,” Drysdale said. “It’s obviously nice to be back playing with the team. The injuries suck. No fun. I definitely had a few more than I would like. Hopefully now, I’ll be better for it.”