It always amazes me how type-A disciplinarian coaches with winning track records get mislabled as toxic or archaic, and fans still think strict disciplinarians dont achieve results without being abusive and corrupt.
First of all, a coach like Torts is hired for exactly that — discipline and a winning track record. He did it with the NYR, Columbus, and now Philly. The turnaround is stark, albeit not sustainable like any coach. So you move on and try again.
When any coach of a losing team is fired, he leaves that team with obvious shortcomings that need to be addressed. The owner of a losing team meets with the GM after the season and the players’ exit interviews provide him with a idea of what the problems are. If a team can’t score, bring in an offensive guru; Can’t defend? Bring in a defense-first approach. Not that hard to comprehend.
In the Flyers’ case, they were the definition of soft, tiny-hearted, and underachieving under Vigneault. After 2019-20, they were too easy to play against and were an automatic loss after giving up the first goal.
Like the OP stated, Torts is the biggest reason behind the improvement. They degraded the roster and still play hard every night. It probably won’t last, but Torts brought in the right culture for what the Flyers were trying to do — to stop playing like the wussies they were. The young players will be better because of it.