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In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether John Tortorella is a good fit for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Todd Cordell
The Blue Jackets were being sunk by an unsustainably low PDO (shooting percentage + save percentage) that will rise over time regardless of who is behind the bench but a coaching change still may have been necessary.
In saying that I don't think John Tortorella is the best choice for the Jackets. He's extremely hard on his players and that's generally not the way to coach in today's NHL.
He also stresses defense and blocking shots more than offense and I'm not sure that's the best idea given Columbus has plenty of scoring talent up front and is relatively weak on the back end. I think they would have been better off getting a coach who will make the Jackets play to their strengths.
We'll find out soon if that's the case.
John Jaeckel
No.
I think it's a mistake on a couple of levels.
Tortorella is one of those rigid, loud message coaches who has a short shelf-life. He might be just the kick in the pants the Columbus team needs short-term, but I have my doubts about him as a nurturer of young talent.
The other issue is, Kekalainen and Davidson fired the coach and not the roster, which consists of a garbage blue line. Again, they had no choice. But Todd Richards did a great job for a couple of seasons with less talent overall.
All eyes in Columbus should be 1-2 years out, not so worried about this admittedly poor start to this season. The question really should be, is John Tortorella the right coach for this team 1-2 years out? Answer: probably not, because he likely will have exploded a lot of bridges by then.
Tim Chiasson
John Tortorella is the most entertaining head coach in hockey, so he's absolutely a great fit for the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets are off to a terrible start, so there's no way he can possibly do worse - all he has to do is win one game.
He's won a Stanley Cup so he has some resume credibility for an organization that has a lot of great pieces. He's enigmatic, which means that he's going to be great for organizational publicity. His faults - which he's admittedly worked on - have lied in the possession game, which happens to be kind of a big deal right now.
If Tortorella can combine his already larger than life presence with a new outlook on coaching then he could be a great thing for the Columbus Blue Jackets. If he can't implement a system that will be competitive against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Montreal Canadiens, etc., then he's going to be just another coach yelling at reporters.
I love the hiring, though, because I've missed the antics of Tortorella and I'm glad he's back in the league behind the bench.
James Tanner
I am just pumped that Torts is back in the NHL because he always makes the league more interesting. I don't really know if he was the best choice or if his abrasive style works/is healthy, but I also don't really care. The NHL is better when he is employed and I welcome his return.
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