Flyers' Tortorella to Media, 'You guys are trying to pit Kevin Hayes against me'

Asked about his choice to sit Hayes in Tuesday's post-game, Tortorella accused media of pitting he and Hayes against one another. As if benching him out of the blue somehow absolves him of any wrong-doing.

Tortorella alleged part of his decision to scratch his leading scorers was to send a message to the rest of the players, but not too many people bought that. Either way, the team rebounded to a 5-3 win on Tuesday, albeit over the bottom-feeding Columbus Blue Jackets, but a win is a win in this league.

Torts' comments did not sit well with the general public after the fact, although it's doubtful he cares in the slightest. Still, his Flyers aren't going anywhere anyway, so he can realistically bench anyone he wants and it will make little difference.

In the latest rendition of 32 Thoughts: the Podcast, Elliotte Friedman wonders if a buyout lies ahead for Hayes. Most of his performance bonuses have been paid out, with a minimal amount still up for grabs in '23-24. Hayes currently makes just over $7 million per season for another three seasons after the current one.

If the Flyers are truly going to press the rebuild button, it's a sensible move, but it would cost them north of $2 million per season for almost a decade.

Decisions, decisions...