Inside the Flyers: Why John Stevens' return might fit Flyers just right

Most fans roll their eyes when former Flyers players or coaches are mentioned to fill the vacancy created by Craig Berube's firing.

It's understandable that fans want someone fresh, someone without any preconceived notion of how the organization operates, to become the new coach. It has been 40 years since the Orange and Black won their last Stanley Cup, and many of those years have had ex-Flyers in the front office and/or behind the bench, so no one will argue that a fresh set of eyes might help.

That said, former Flyers coach John Stevens would be an intriguing hire. The Flyers need better defensive structure, and that's an area that is Stevens' specialty.

And with the Flyers loaded with defensive prospects who are close to reaching the NHL, Stevens is just the type of coach to mold them. His strength is in developing young players, and defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere, Travis Sanheim, Sam Morin, and Robert Hagg could benefit from his guidance. (And despite general manager Ron Hextall's saying the Flyers probably would select a forward with the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft, it wouldn't be shocking if he opted for NHL-ready 6-foot, 200-pound defenseman Ivan Provorov if he is available.)

Stevens got a raw deal in his first stint as Flyers coach. In essence, he was fired because of a Flyers tailspin that occurred when they were playing with an injured goalie, Ray Emery.

Shortly after Stevens was fired early in the 2009-10 season, the Flyers announced that Emery needed abdominal surgery, and then-general manager Paul Holmgren said the injury was bothering Emery for more than three weeks. When Stevens was dismissed, the Flyers had lost six of their last seven, including four starts by Emery, all losses.

The Flyers were 13-11-1 when Stevens was fired. They had a similar record (28-23-5) the rest of the way under Peter Laviolette, then got hot in the playoffs and reached the Stanley Cup Finals.

Would they have gotten there if Stevens was still the head coach?

That's open to debate.

This isn't debatable: Teams thrive defensively under Stevens, and it's no coincidence that the Los Angeles Kings have won two Stanley Cups with him on their coaching staff.

In all five of Stevens' seasons as a Los Angeles assistant, the Kings have finished in the top-seven (out of 30 teams) in team defense, as measured by goals allowed per game. Anchored by one of the NHL's best defensemen, Drew Doughty, they have finished first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh.

In the three years before Stevens was hired, the Kings finished ninth, 11th and 27th defensively.

By comparison, here is where the Flyers have ranked in team defense during the last five years: 11th, 20th, 22d, 20th, 21st. They were 21st this season even though goalie Steve Mason had a career year.

Stevens, who spent three seasons in L.A. while Hextall was an assistant general manager there, was elevated from assistant to associate coach after the Kings won the Stanley Cup last year, and many believe he is the heir apparent when Darryl Sutter steps down.

But Sutter, 56, has not given any indication he plans to retire in the near future, so you wonder if Stevens would welcome returning to the Flyers.

Stevens, 48, who played and coached for the Flyers and the AHL's Phantoms, didn't want to comment when asked if he would be interested in returning to Philadelphia. If he is, and if Hextall's feeling is mutual, Stevens won't have to drive far for an interview. Next week, Stevens and his family will be at their summer home in Sea Isle City, where he brought the Stanley Cup for a visit to the beach last July, drawing long lines that seemed to stretch to Ocean City.

It appears that Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan and Claude Julien (if he becomes available) will be Hextall's top targets. If he can't land one of them, Hextall might want to take a ride to the Jersey Shore because Stevens would be a great fallback choice.

@BroadStBull