Columbus Blue Jackets Sign John Tortorella to One Year Extension
The Columbus Blue Jackets announced a one year extension for head coach John Tortorella. Dollars and cents have not been announced yet.
Today the Columbus Blue Jackets announced they have extended coach John Tortorella’s contract for one more season. His extension ensures Torts will remain in Columbus until after the 2018-2019 season. That is of course, barring any unforeseen circumstances which could lead to him being fired.
Torts has led the Jackets for just under two seasons and led the team to unprecedented heights. After a dismal 2015-2016, Torts help turn the team into a 100 plus point team and led the franchise to it’s third ever playoff appearance.
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But the contract is only for one more year than what he currently has. Why wouldn’t you want to lock up the coach that led you to the most success your franchise has ever had to a longer deal?
Torts History and Sample Size
This all comes down to history and sample size.
Torts has only been here for one full season. Sure, he took over the reigns in October 2015, but he has only been leading this squad for one full season.
The front office will want to see if he can continue this success over more than just one season.
The larger sample size is needed due to Tortorella’s past as well. Torts has had some rocky times with teams so the Jackets are wise to see if he still will stick. His brash and aggressive style seems to have subdued a little since joining the CBJ, but he still has a penchant for outburst.
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If that behavior sees an uptick in occurrence, Jarmo Kekalainen and John Davidsson have an out in 2019. I don’t foresee this being a problem, but Jarmo is conservative with contracts and it’s for the best that he is that way.
Torts has found a team and city that embraces his message. He has found a place where he has a future of success ahead of him. And he has at least until 2019 to prove that he deserves a long deal.