Q&A: Keith Jones talks the Flyers’ surprising start, Morgan Frost, and balancing winning and rebuilding

The Flyers are a surprising 11-9-1 at the quarter mark of the season and have been playing some good hockey. We caught up with first-year president of hockey operations Keith Jones last week to discuss the team’s start, long-term direction, prospects, and much more.

Here is Part 1 of our two-part interview with Jones.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

A: I think we’re off to a good start. The No. 1 priority was making sure that we had a room of players that love playing together. That, you know, really worked hard as a unit, and kind of came together as a group. So far, that’s been a really positive part of everything that we’re doing right now.

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A: You know them by being around the game a long time. That’s something that Danny [Brière] has really done a terrific job of and, you know, translating from being a player and then recognizing what was important within the locker room.

I do think that has a lot to do with putting the right pieces in the right places and understanding the dynamics of a team. Hockey is a sport that relies on so many different players to pull their weight and to support and produce at the same time. And our guys have really done a good job of doing that together.

And I think some of that, you know, from our perspective comes from a knowledge based upon playing the game, being important people within a locker room, and recognizing where those players are at. I think that’s helped us to get started.

A: Surprisingly, [it] felt natural, probably a little more than I would have expected. Just kind of building relationships, continuing some already previous relationships and allowing them to grow, and being there to support everybody within our organization.

And I think we as a group have done a really good job of making people feel like they’re a part of something that eventually is going to be special and right now is already off to a good start.

A: We’re partly to blame for that messaging, because, you know, we’ve used some terms that a lot of teams don’t use.

A: Like rebuilding. And I anticipated that our players would take that to heart. They have, they are doing a terrific job of doing things as a team, and I think that’s really something that’s benefited us. I still think our job from above is to make sure that we have a really close eye on the future, but also really paying attention to the culture within the locker room, which is a living, breathing thing that you have to stay focused on and continue to improve. I think that’s some of the reasons that we’ve had some early success.

A: When you have a veteran coach like John Tortorella, you already are in a better place because he recognizes and kind of walks that balance beam to find the right combinations on any given night. The challenge is keeping those players who aren’t in the lineup on a certain night involved and still feeling like they’re a part of things.

A lot of that falls on the coach, a lot of that falls on the group of players that are around, you know, each individual; that is not an easy thing to do. And we have multiple options to go into our lineup on a nightly basis right now. So that is a challenge.

But I feel much more comfortable with it knowing that Torts has been there and done that and is honest with his players. And I think a lot of those decisions are coming from the head coach, and he’s done a really good job in balancing it.

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A: There’s conversations. [But] end of the day that coach is going to make the decision on who’s playing on any given night. But there’s definitely conversations that take place, and anytime you’re collaborating, that’s one of the main things.

And that’s really been a focus for us from the time Danny started and I arrived shortly after that. We want to make sure that we’re in constant communication. We’re around each other all the time. I think, if you look at examples around the league, Vegas is obviously the one that’s front and center right now. [Golden Knights president] George McPhee works very closely with [general manager] Kelly McCrimmon, they’re inseparable most times.

It’s pretty cool thing to have, you know, two people that don’t necessarily see everything the same way but are open and willing to have conversations about that. And we’re fortunate here because we have a coaching staff that’s on the same page in that regard, and that’s something that we’re going to continue to really work at.

A: We think he’s a big part of our future. And you know, Morgan really came in and did some outstanding things. And some of his recent performances, which were huge. That’s not easy. I’ve been there. Danny’s been there. That’s not an easy part to be in as a player. So he’s handled it extremely well. I’m really proud of the way that he’s dealt with it.

And there’s going to be other players that come in and out [of the lineup]. We have right now, touch wood, a lot of options, but things will change, and we just want to make sure that Morgan continues to feel like he’s a big part of our future because we believe that he is.

A: No rush in that regard. I think the players will dictate that. If they jump out and, you know, their play demands that they get up here, they’ll be up here. So that’s up to the individual players to be noticed. I mean, you play the game to ultimately play in the National Hockey League on a night-in and night-out basis. But you have to do things to make sure that you’re one of those players that we’re saying, “OK, this guy’s opportunity is now.” That’s on the player.

And those guys are definitely players that we’re keeping a close eye on, and we believe they are a big part of our future. But when that future arrives is going to be based on how well that player is playing and how noticeable he is.

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