John Tortorella Reportedly Won't Be Back In Columbus Next Season. Why? What Happened?
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Torts is an…acquired taste, to say the least. Now 20-30 years ago Torts would have just been an ordinary coach. Nobody would bat an eye at the shit he does and says. But it's a new day in age. Too many people have "feelings" and "emotions". What used to be called tough love is now "holy shit this dude is a psychopath". But that's just the world we live in these days. And in that world…
Jarmo Kekalainen goes out and trades Josh Anderson to Montreal for Max Domi. Personally I think that's a Jarmo issue because Max Domi has proven time and time again that he's just not very good. But still. That's a big trade for the organization to make, and by all accounts it would appear that Torts fucking hates Domi's guts so that's not gonna work out.
Then Jarmo Kekalainen goes out and trades Pierre Luc-Dubois for Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Roslovic is a stud but everybody with half of a functioning brain knew that Laine and Torts were going to mesh together like oil and water. The Blue Jackets could have gotten so many different assets for PLD but Jarmo decided he wanted to get another Finn in the building. And how does that decision pay off for him right away? By having the most tension filled relationship in the National Hockey League right now with Laine and Torts.
Then you tack on the fact that the Blue Jackets stink this year and they just traded away their captain Nick Foligno, probably the only guy in that locker room who still has good things to say about Torts, and you can start to see that maybe his time in Columbus has run its course. And again, I don't think the Columbus Blue Jackets did anything at all to make life easier for John Tortorella. In fact, it seems as if Jarmo Kekalainen went out of his way to bring in guys who very clearly would not be able to handle his coaching style and expectations.
So now we're officially on Torts Watch. Only 8 more games left for Columbus this season. Just thinking about some teams that'll need a new head coach next year--we've got Seattle, obviously. Buffalo. Honestly wouldn't hate him in Philly to get some of these young losers to finally start playing the game with a little energy. Or maybe he just heads to retirement. Either way, I expect Torts to go out in a blaze of glory, so strap in for these next 8 games.