VOORHEES, N.J. — John Tortorella has challenged Cam York before.
And he's challenging him again.
After benching York, Tortorella is looking for a response from his top-pair defenseman.
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"You're goddamn right I am," the head coach said Saturday at morning skate.
York will be back alongside Travis Sanheim when the Flyers host the Blue Jackets (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP). The 23-year-old didn't play in the third period of the Flyers' 6-4 loss Wednesday night to the Red Wings and was healthy scratched for the team's 7-3 loss Thursday night to the Kings.
Tortorella has seen York raise his standard of play, going back to the head coach's first season in Philadelphia. That was 2022-23, when Tortorella sent the touted prospect to the minors before the Flyers even reached their final cuts of training camp.
Since then, York has been one of the Flyers' most improved players, turning into a minutes-eating type of defenseman last season. This season, Tortorella hasn't watched the same, difference-making guy, at least not of late.
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"The thing is, he has got himself in a jackpot with me because I've seen him play at a level," Tortorella said. "When you see a guy play at a level, and a level that I doubted he could get to the first year ... first year, we sent him down and I said, 'What the hell is that?' Because I heard so much about him. I didn't see any of that.
"But as I've watched him grow and him blocking shots and just the willingness he had as a player, the puck handling, probably one of our better defenders. ... I do and always will have a ton of respect for him for how he has grown. But that's the jam he's in right now. He can't stop. You're not going to be allowed to go backwards."
York smiled when asked if this reminded him of his first season with Tortorella.
"Yeah, definitely," he said. "At the end of the day, I'm a professional and I know when I mess up or if I'm doing something good. I'm aware of those things. Obviously Torts has his ways of showing that to a player and that's kind of what we're going through.
"We've had some conversations. Really since coming back, we've had conversations. It has been good, it has been good feedback. Two men having a good conversation."
After missing 13 games because of an upper-body injury, York has a goal, an assist and a minus-1 rating in 12 games. On the season, he has three goals, two assists and a minus-3 mark in 19 games.
"I'm very cognizant of an injury to a defenseman, a shoulder, certainly plays with it," Tortorella said. "But if you're going to put the uniform on and you're healthy, there needs to be a lot better play out of him. He's not even in neutral, I think he has gone backwards. He's too important of a guy for this organization."
Because of the injury, York went a month without game action. Has it been difficult coming back from that layoff?
"I think I definitely underestimated it a little bit," York said. "But that's just part of the game, it's part of the sport we play. I'm working through it and just trying to get better every day.
"For me, it has been execution. Plays that I usually make haven't been as clean for me since returning. That's something that we're going to have to work through. It has been a struggle for me, but there's only one way to get past it and that's just to put your best foot forward and try to get better every shift."
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