Confirmed with Link: Tortorella Won’t Return as Head Coach

[MoeBartoli]

So question I have - Torts ran PLD out of town for requesting a trade. Did Torts ever address the team on why he didn't want to be coaching them this season? I know guys like Foligno knew he wanted out (based on the story saying Foligno helped to talk him into staying).
I guess that just really rubs me the wrong way - he jumps all over a guy who wants out, but he couldn't be a man himself and address it as he wanted his player to.

This is a good take.

 

[majormajor]

So question I have - Torts ran PLD out of town for requesting a trade. Did Torts ever address the team on why he didn't want to be coaching them this season? I know guys like Foligno knew he wanted out (based on the story saying Foligno helped to talk him into staying).
I guess that just really rubs me the wrong way - he jumps all over a guy who wants out, but he couldn't be a man himself and address it as he wanted his player to.

Eh, he changed his mind though and agreed to stay. I don't see the parallels. I also just can't imagine any coach having that address with his players.

I think Torts totally botched the PLD situation, FWIW.

 

[JacketsDavid]

Eh, he changed his mind though and agreed to stay. I don't see the parallels. I also just can't imagine any coach having that address with his players.

I think Torts totally botched the PLD situation, FWIW.

I thought about this before responding:

PLD wanted to leave and actively reached out to teams about an offer sheet.
In the end he couldn't get that so he agreed to sign a contract and had an agreement with the team to try to trade him when possible without making it public.

Torts wanted to leave but wanted to get paid for not coaching.
He decided to keep coaching to get paid.

In my mind I'm not sure if Torts is any better than PLD. They both wanted paid and they both want out of Columbus. Torts kept his intentions quiet (t was rumored a few times that he may be done and potentially wanted to get fired, but not sure if anyone really ran with that). PLD tried to keep his intentions quiet but it was leaked (no one is sure where that came from) but then Torts blew him up for it.

 

[CBJx614]

I thought about this before responding:

PLD wanted to leave and actively reached out to teams about an offer sheet.
In the end he couldn't get that so he agreed to sign a contract and had an agreement with the team to try to trade him when possible without making it public.

Torts wanted to leave but wanted to get paid for not coaching.
He decided to keep coaching to get paid.

In my mind I'm not sure if Torts is any better than PLD. They both wanted paid and they both want out of Columbus. Torts kept his intentions quiet (t was rumored a few times that he may be done and potentially wanted to get fired, but not sure if anyone really ran with that). PLD tried to keep his intentions quiet but it was leaked (no one is sure where that came from) but then Torts blew him up for it.

Id be pretty upset if I were Torts too. He's thinking he's not gonna come back, he's convinced by the players to come back for one more and then the cornerstone guy around which the whole team hinges upon wants out. Definitely a frustrating situation for everyone involved.

 

[DJA]

I thought about this before responding:

PLD wanted to leave and actively reached out to teams about an offer sheet.
In the end he couldn't get that so he agreed to sign a contract and had an agreement with the team to try to trade him when possible without making it public.

Torts wanted to leave but wanted to get paid for not coaching.
He decided to keep coaching to get paid.

In my mind I'm not sure if Torts is any better than PLD. They both wanted paid and they both want out of Columbus. Torts kept his intentions quiet (t was rumored a few times that he may be done and potentially wanted to get fired, but not sure if anyone really ran with that). PLD tried to keep his intentions quiet but it was leaked (no one is sure where that came from) but then Torts blew him up for it.

Agree this is a super annoying nugget that came out this postseason about Torts and it diminishes my view of him quite a bit over the past season. Seems the "locker room issues" he brought up were a result of his mind being elsewhere the whole season. I almost feel there was a bit of jealousy on his part toward PLD which is why he went overboard to bash him on the radio - PLD was successfully able to squirm his way out of town, but Torts was stuck here coaching when he didn't want to, and wasn't allowed to quit/wasn't fired.

I blame Torts more and more for this debacle of a season (although ownership being cheap set the wheels in motion).

 

[KJ Dangler]

Agree this is a super annoying nugget that came out this postseason about Torts and it diminishes my view of him quite a bit over the past season. Seems the "locker room issues" he brought up were a result of his mind being elsewhere the whole season. I almost feel there was a bit of jealousy on his part toward PLD which is why he went overboard to bash him on the radio - PLD was successfully able to squirm his way out of town, but Torts was stuck here coaching when he didn't want to, and wasn't allowed to quit/wasn't fired.

I blame Torts more and more for this debacle of a season (although ownership being cheap set the wheels in motion).

How was ownership,being cheap ? They offered to even accommodate him and find another job in the front office , at a reduced salary since he wasn’t wanting to live up to the contract he signed ? He wouldn’t do that , because it seems he wanted to get paid not to work . Then you have the agreement with Pld and Jarmo , that Torts went on air with , made public , made situation nuclear .. was that an intentional act to get fired ? Makes you wonder ..

 

[DJA]

How was ownership,being cheap ? They offered to even accommodate him and find another job in the front office , at a reduced salary since he wasn’t wanting to live up to the contract he signed ? He wouldn’t do that , because it seems he wanted to get paid not to work . Then you have the agreement with Pld and Jarmo , that Torts went on air with , made public , made situation nuclear .. was that an intentional act to get fired ? Makes you wonder ..

You think ownership would have been okay with hiring a whole new coach/staff based on this info? Not a chance. If Torts insisted on leaving, we would have had the Double-Headed Brad as our coach this season. Who knows, that may have been an improvement, though. As I mentioned above, the PLD radio thing, I think was borne out of jealousy that PLD was leaving and Torts was stuck, whether he was trying to get fired for it is debatable since he knew he was pretty much stuck here for the season. But like I said, I place most of the blame on Torts for this season going sideways.

 

[EspenK]

You think ownership would have been okay with hiring a whole new coach/staff based on this info? Not a chance. If Torts insisted on leaving, we would have had the Double-Headed Brad as our coach this season. Who knows, that may have been an improvement, though. As I mentioned above, the PLD radio thing, I think was borne out of jealousy that PLD was leaving and Torts was stuck, whether he was trying to get fired for it is debatable since he knew he was pretty much stuck here for the season. But like I said, I place most of the blame on Torts for this season going sideways.

I blame Jarmo...

 

[JacketFanInFL]

Any word on CBJ all-time leader in penalty minutes turned offense development coach (Jared Boll) is sticking around?

Please tell me no.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

I feel we would have made the playoffs if we had fired Torts after last season

We parted ways with him one season too late and the damage is going to be felt for years

I may get heat for saying this but Americans just do not make good NHL head coaches.

 

[ColumbusTrill]

I feel we would have made the playoffs if we had fired Torts after last season

We parted ways with him one season too late and the damage is going to be felt for years

I may get heat for saying this but Americans just do not make good NHL head coaches.

torts led a team filled with ahl-ers to the playoffs, beat the leafs, and played the champs an incredibly tough series. There was no way they were firing him. He was robbed of the jack adams. It’s not realistic saying that at all

 

[majormajor]

I feel we would have made the playoffs if we had fired Torts after last season

We parted ways with him one season too late and the damage is going to be felt for years

I may get heat for saying this but Americans just do not make good NHL head coaches.

Just pretend his name is Jean Tortelleau and that he is from Gaspé, Quebec. Suddenly those Jack Adams are extra deserved.

It was obvious by February that Torts had no grip left on this team, so I was baffled that he wasn't fired then. I don't blame them for not firing him before the season when he was coming off his 4th straight playoff berth and 2nd season in a row with a series win. That's just not when coaches get fired.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

Major, he tried to walk away last season right? He coached like he didn't give two shits, do you think we kept him just because they didn't want to eat his salary. Disfunctional sums it up pretty well.

 

[majormajor]

Major, he tried to walk away last season right? He coached like he didn't give two shits, do you think we kept him just because they didn't want to eat his salary. Disfunctional sums it up pretty well.

Before the season there was no reason to fire him. I presume you're asking why he wasn't fired in February or March? I am just as confused by it as you are.

 

[AndBoomGoesTheCannon]

Before the season there was no reason to fire him. I presume you're asking why he wasn't fired in February or March? I am just as confused by it as you are.

My best guess is that with the uncertainty in their personal finances due to the pandemic, they didn't like the idea of paying 2 coaches.

I also think you generally have more options in the offseason so Jarmo may have been inclined to wait. I think this is his last hiring chance if things go poorly.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

torts led a team filled with ahl-ers to the playoffs, beat the leafs, and played the champs an incredibly tough series. There was no way they were firing him. He was robbed of the jack adams. It’s not realistic saying that at all

How about if we say we would have been better off this season if he’d been allowed to quit like he wanted to.

 

[majormajor]

How about if we say we would have been better off this season if he’d been allowed to quit like he wanted to.

He was allowed to quit. He just wasn't allowed to quit and keep getting paid. So he decided not to quit.

I know in retrospect we'd change a million things about this lost season, but last offseason there was no reason to fire Torts. I would have said "I understand, I don't want someone coaching who doesn't want to be here, you're welcome to go on your merry way, and we'll keep the $2m". It seems like that might have been Jarmo's stance. Though I have no idea why he didn't reevaluate in February when we were drifting in the open ocean.

My best guess is that with the uncertainty in their personal finances due to the pandemic, they didn't like the idea of paying 2 coaches.

I also think you generally have more options in the offseason so Jarmo may have been inclined to wait. I think this is his last hiring chance if things go poorly.

I could be wrong but when you have an assistant like one of the Brads take over as interim, you don't have to pay them a ton of money, maybe none more. I'm not sure if it requires a new contract or a new payscale until they are hired as permanent head coaches.

If they had their eye on Larsen this whole time as a potential future head coach then the smart play would have been to make him interim coach starting in February and see how much he could do to rescue the ship. That would have given us a lot more information not just on him but on the players on the team. Instead all we have written down is "didn't succeed in Torts' system" for like fifteen players.

 

[MissADD]

My best guess is that with the uncertainty in their personal finances due to the pandemic, they didn't like the idea of paying 2 coaches.

I also think you generally have more options in the offseason so Jarmo may have been inclined to wait. I think this is his last hiring chance if things go poorly.

I don't think it was just that. If I remember correctly, there was uncertainty if there would even be a season. I think both those reasons are why they wanted to convince torts to stay.

He was allowed to quit. He just wasn't allowed to quit and keep getting paid. So he decided not to quit.

I know in retrospect we'd change a million things about this lost season, but last offseason there was no reason to fire Torts. I would have said "I understand, I don't want someone coaching who doesn't want to be here, you're welcome to go on your merry way, and we'll keep the $2m". It seems like that might have been Jarmo's stance. Though I have no idea why he didn't reevaluate in February when we were drifting in the open ocean.



I could be wrong but when you have an assistant like one of the Brads take over as interim, you don't have to pay them a ton of money, maybe none more. I'm not sure if it requires a new contract or a new payscale until they are hired as permanent head coaches.

If they had their eye on Larsen this whole time as a potential future head coach then the smart play would have been to make him interim coach starting in February and see how much he could do to rescue the ship. That would have given us a lot more information not just on him but on the players on the team. Instead all we have written down is "didn't succeed in Torts' system" for like fifteen players.

I think it would have been weird too have an intern coach for an entire season if they let torts go when he wanted out. I do think the COVID factor messed everything up from the word go.

 

[majormajor]

I don't think it was just that. If I remember correctly, there was uncertainty if there would even be a season. I think both those reasons are why they wanted to convince torts to stay.




I think it would have been weird too have an intern coach for an entire season if they let torts go when he wanted out. I do think the COVID factor messed everything up from the word go.

To have an interim starting from the previous offseason? Yes that would be strange. But there have been interim coaches before who coached almost the entire season.

 

[Iron Balls McGinty]

He was allowed to quit. He just wasn't allowed to quit and keep getting paid. So he decided not to quit.

I know in retrospect we'd change a million things about this lost season, but last offseason there was no reason to fire Torts. I would have said "I understand, I don't want someone coaching who doesn't want to be here, you're welcome to go on your merry way, and we'll keep the $2m". It seems like that might have been Jarmo's stance. Though I have no idea why he didn't reevaluate in February when we were drifting in the open ocean.



I could be wrong but when you have an assistant like one of the Brads take over as interim, you don't have to pay them a ton of money, maybe none more. I'm not sure if it requires a new contract or a new payscale until they are hired as permanent head coaches.

If they had their eye on Larsen this whole time as a potential future head coach then the smart play would have been to make him interim coach starting in February and see how much he could do to rescue the ship. That would have given us a lot more information not just on him but on the players on the team. Instead all we have written down is "didn't succeed in Torts' system" for like fifteen players.

That was certainly fine but when it was clear the season was off the rails it was time to cut bait and move on.

I’ll still boo Seth Jones to no end for wanting out instead of wanting to be part of the solution but decisions like that show why this organization turned into a shit show this year.

That being said, I think Gallant would rather be somewhere else. He was here once when it was a train wreck. I wouldn’t want to be here a 2nd time during a different train wreck.

JD had better be working the used car sales angle hard on the organization now.

 

[EspenK]

Interesting read n Torts departure from the Rangers. A Deeper Look At Why The Rangers Fired Tortorella

Seems like the criticisms there matched ours.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Let's see.......

If Torts had been fired then: 1) PLD wouldn't have had the current 23 game goalless streak that he's currently having with WPG or decided to quit on the team. 2) Textier wouldn't have gone 47 games without a goal 3) Foligno and Savard wouldn't have been in free fall decline 4) Korpisalo wouldn't have played like an AHLer for most of the season 5) Jones wouldn't have played like a 3rd rate clown 6) Laine would have gone back to the magic of his play of several years ago 7) Tie Domi wouldn't have played the first half of the season like he'd never played the game 8) Z wouldn't have been injured 9) Nyquist wouldn't have been injured 10) Atkinson wouldn't have had a mediocre season 11) And so on

The CBJ suck. No one could have done anything with this roster this year. Or next year. Or the following. They are one of the worst teams in the league. Not Torts' fault. Sorry.

 

[LetsGOJackets!!]

Let's see.......Not Torts' fault. Sorry.

I certainly wasn't thinking he should be fired at the start of the season. Late Jan early Feb., when the team was stalling and our lines were being tossed every other shift - yeah it seemed like there were no straws left to grasp other than letting Torts go. After the season I hear Torts didn't even want to be here in 2021 - & Foligno met to talk him into staying. Good Lord that is screwed up. Torts accepts the blame for what happened. Not all of it, but an ample share.

 

[majormajor]

Let's see.......

If Torts had been fired then: 1) PLD wouldn't have had the current 23 game goalless streak that he's currently having with WPG or decided to quit on the team. 2) Textier wouldn't have gone 47 games without a goal 3) Foligno and Savard wouldn't have been in free fall decline 4) Korpisalo wouldn't have played like an AHLer for most of the season 5) Jones wouldn't have played like a 3rd rate clown 6) Laine would have gone back to the magic of his play of several years ago 7) Tie Domi wouldn't have played the first half of the season like he'd never played the game 8) Z wouldn't have been injured 9) Nyquist wouldn't have been injured 10) Atkinson wouldn't have had a mediocre season 11) And so on

The CBJ suck. No one could have done anything with this roster this year. Or next year. Or the following. They are one of the worst teams in the league. Not Torts' fault. Sorry.

Right, because coaches have no effect on their players....

What exactly do coaches do, again?

If your theory is correct we should just put a scarecrow behind the bench and save money.

Personally it is when I saw how little we were getting out of Jones and other supposedly elite talents, that's when I knew that Torts was doing a shit job.

 

[GoJackets1]

Right, because coaches have no effect on their players....

What exactly do coaches do, again?

If your theory is correct we should just put a scarecrow behind the bench and save money.

Personally it is when I saw how little we were getting out of Jones and other supposedly elite talents, that's when I knew that Torts was doing a shit job.

Yep, exactly this. Especially the last bit.