Cam Atkinson, Travis Sanheim ready to dig in defensively under John Tortorella

Cam Atkinson is selling John Tortorella’s coaching philosophy, and his teammates are buying in.

On Tuesday, Atkinson, who played for Tortorella from 2015-21 in Columbus, said he saw firsthand how the coach helped the Blue Jackets gain a reputation for being hard to play against despite the team’s lack of superstars.

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For the Flyers, who were sixth-worst in goals allowed last season, Tortorella’s defense-first philosophy should be welcome. Atkinson, a winger, said in Columbus it helped him play “more freely” in the offensive zone in addition to shoring up the team’s defense. When the Blue Jackets played quickly and hard in the defensive zone as Tortorella wanted, they usually followed it up with better offensive shifts.

Defenseman Travis Sanheim hasn’t experienced Tortorella’s coaching yet, but he’s looking forward to a change in philosophy. Last year’s woeful defensive statistics weren’t the fault of just the goalie or the defensemen, Sanheim said Tuesday, but rather a result of the entire team’s performance.

“I think everyone’s going to be involved defensively; everyone’s going to play the right way,” Sanheim said. “He’s going to instill that in our game.”

The change also needs to come from within. Atkinson said everyone in the locker room talks about how last season left a bitter taste in their mouths. To a man, the players believe they’re better than what they showed, and they’re determined to prove it.

“We’re going to play a lot harder in front of Carter [Hart], I’ll tell you that,” Atkinson said. “As we should. A lot more one-and-dones instead of two, three, four, five rebounds that ended up in the back of the net for the other team last year.”

The number one thing Atkinson is looking forward to this season?

“Winning,” he said. “Winning, which I know is going to happen.”

It wasn’t something that happened often last season, as the Flyers won just 25 of 82 games. But with Tortorella pushing them from the bench and the added chip on the players’ shoulders fueling them further, Atkinson expects this team to look more like it originally expected it to entering last season.

This summer’s acquisitions should also make the team harder to play against. Defenseman Tony DeAngelo brings hockey IQ and power-play skills to the fold, while Nic Deslauriers will toughen up the fourth line, Atkinson said. Sanheim added that he’s already learning things from DeAngelo’s game, while he’s seen Deslauriers’ strength on display in recent informal practices, even though they’re not yet going full speed.

But the biggest change will be a healthy set of centers in Sean Couturier and Kevin Hayes. Couturier played just 29 games last season before undergoing season-ending back surgery in February, while Hayes managed just 48 games while battling through multiple abdominal injuries.

“When you have your two big boys going, it kind of drags other guys into playing better,” Atkinson said.

Only one player on the team has gone through a training camp or played a game under Tortorella, and that’s Atkinson. As a result, he has been fielding questions since the hire was announced.

Now that the players are back and camp is drawing closer, the questions are coming in thick and fast. Atkinson said he can see the “anxious butterflies” creeping in, but he says that’s a good thing.

Even after six years, Atkinson said he still gets nervous, too.

“Guys were just asking me earlier today and I’ve told them a million times what to expect,” Atkinson said. “It’s not fun while you’re doing it, but it’s great when you kind of get over that hump and your legs start feeling great, especially in the third period of a close game or something like that.”

Unlike some of the other leaders on the team, Sanheim has not met Tortorella yet. But he knows his reputation. When chatting with guys about when to come back, they all agreed to return to Philly at the same time as usual even though training camp begins a week later this season. It has made things more fun as they try to whip themselves into shape ahead of what will be a tough camp.

Much of Tortorella’s reputation is built on the YouTube videos everyone has seen of his blowups, Atkinson said. He can’t deny Tortorella is fiery, but he said it’s because he cares. Sure, there will be screaming matches, but the YouTube-worthy moments don’t come as often as one might think.

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In a city that is so passionate about its sports, Atkinson believes Tortorella should be a good fit.