Recent letter from Tortorella indicates where the Philadelphia Flyers are at

The Philadelphia Flyers sit in seventh place in the Metropolitan Division, a position they are going to have a hard time moving from for the rest of the season. The Flyers are 21-21-9 on the season; that in itself is actually impressive.

The Flyers are playing in one of the toughest divisions in the league right now. All but one team in the Metro has at least 50 points; the same is true for the Atlantic Division. In the west, the Flyers would be the fifth or sixth-best team in either division, so really having the same amount of wins and losses is actually impressive.

The Flyers and head coach John Tortorella did not need to say something at this moment, but they chose to, which is respectable considering where the team is in the standings.

John Tortorella sent a letter to Philadelphia Flyers season ticket holders.

This has been a big topic throughout the day, it does seem a little similar to past organizations sending out a letter ahead of a rebuild like the Rangers did a few seasons ago. The difference here is the process already seems to have started.

John Tortorella was brought in to help change the direction of the Flyers. He has started to get the team to play his style of hockey, which is why they do find themselves above 500 and 5-3-2 in their last ten games. You can see his letter below:

I do think it is interesting to note that this letter is coming from Tortorella, the coach, and not Chuck Fletcher, the general manager. This seems like something that Fletcher should be talking about and not the coach. The fact that it came from Tortorella could be an indication of who the voice of the Flyers is and who is calling the shots, or it is just the Flyers trying to pick the more likable person to pen the letter.

I like that the Flyers sent this out despite their recent successes on the ice. Since the holiday break in December, the Flyers have gone 10-4-2. Some might look at that and say this team is on the path to push for a playoff spot this year or next year, depending on how they play their cards, but the organization seems to be committing to making the tough decisions right now to set up the franchise for success.

That could start at the trade deadline with James van Riemsdyk on an expiring contract and potentially being shopped around for a trade. Or the Flyers could choose to trade some other players with more term on their contracts with the team.

Either way, I do not think the Flyers will be quiet in the coming weeks. This letter out to the fans seems like an indication that change is on the way! Change that is definitely overdue.