‘Next coach up’: Flyers say nothing changes with Brad Shaw replacing the suspended John Tortorella

Next coach up.

Cam Atkinson may have said it with a grin and a chuckle but the Flyers’ mentality all season long has been next man up. So why should it not pertain to the coaches too?

John Tortorella, who ran the team’s practice on Monday, will not be behind the bench for the next two games against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. The Flyers coach was handed a two-game suspension and a $50,000 fine by the NHL for refusing to leave the bench after being assessed a game misconduct just 10 minutes, 49 seconds into Saturday’s 7-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

“It’s an emotional game and it is what it is at that point, right? It’s a couple of questionable calls that led to that happening,” Atkinson said. “I read what [Sean Couturier] said, I was right below him. He was screaming over my head. I personally don’t think what he did was wrong. But everyone’s entitled to their own opinion.”

» READ MORE: Flyers coach John Tortorella is suspended two games and fined $50,000

After the game on Saturday, Couturier said he didn’t think Tortorella deserved to be kicked out, adding, “He didn’t say much at all.”

Whatever Tortorella said earned him a ban from the bench after the Lightning took a 4-0 lead on a power-play goal following a questionable tripping penalty to defenseman Ronnie Attard. He did not comment on what has transpired the last few days when he spoke to the media on Monday, adding the team is moving on and getting ready for the Sharks.

But one thing is clear, he hates not being on the bench. Last April, he handed over the reins to his assistants for a handful of games but said “I can’t stand it,” when it came to being away.

Brad Shaw will most likely be the next guy up since he is the Flyers’ associate coach. Tortorella and Shaw have a long history and have worked together for seven of the last eight years. Shaw was the interim head coach for the New York Islanders in 2005-06 when Steve Stirling was fired; he went 18-18-4 at the helm.

“He’s been a coach in this league a very long time. A very smart guy and he can handle the bench,” defenseman Marc Staal said. “I don’t think anyone’s concerned about that. And, you know, we all know our jobs and we’ll do the same thing we always do, listen for a name, and get on the ice and go about our business.”

No Tortorella is just one more bump in the Flyers’ season, which has seen them fly down the road and exceed expectations into third place in the Metropolitan Division. But the good times may be coming to an end. The Islanders are inching closer and closer and are now two points back thanks to a six-game winning streak under new head coach Patrick Roy. It makes Tuesday’s game against the Sharks — a team that beat the Flyers 2-1 in November to end an 0-10-1 start to the season and is currently tied for 31st in the league — all the more critical.

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“You can’t look by any teams,” Tortorella said. “It’s so competitive, especially when there’s teams that are out. They play looser, they’re free, they’re dangerous teams. For us, the way we’ve gone about it all year long, we need to be ready to play. If we’re gonna be competitive against any team in this league, we need to be ready. So, coming off a split out [of] Florida — a really good game and a really bad game — we just got to focus on trying to be the best we can be against San Jose.”

Egor Zamula and Travis Sanheim did not practice on Monday. Zamula missed Saturday’s game due to illness. Sanheim had a maintenance day. ... Adam Ginning, who the Flyers tried to recall on emergency conditions on Saturday but was stuck at the airport due to weather, was officially recalled on Monday and was at practice. ... Tortorella did not provide any updates on injured defensemen Nick Seeler, Jamie Drysdale, or Rasmus Ristolainen.