The Columbus Blue Jackets were the fourth-worst team in the NHL in 2015-2016. Last season, the Jackets finished as the fourth-best in John Tortorella’s first full season as head coach.
John Tortorella was hired by the Columbus Blue Jackets on October 21, 2015. This was during a seven-game Jackets losing streak to begin the season under Todd Richards.
Tortorella pushed the team to finish the season near .500 and move into a crucial 2016-2017 season.
There, as we all know, is where we saw the sudden and improbable rise of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Somehow, Tortorella led one of the youngest teams in the entire league to 108 points and the third playoff berth in franchise history.
That incredible play throughout the year led the Blue Jackets and Torts to begin negotiations on a contract extension. The Columbus Dispatch reported almost one month ago that the two sides began talks to keep Tortorella with the team when his current deal runs out following the 2017-2018 season.
Despite the talks and rumors, the parties have not reached a deal yet. The reason for this remains unknown, but there are a few reasons that it could be.
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Possibility #1 – Time
This delay in getting a deal done might be just a shortage of time in the last four weeks.
With the entry and expansion drafts, free agency, trade talks, development camp, and awards shows, the Blue Jackets staff has been busy since the season’s conclusion.
General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has reportedly been an active man in the trading world so it’s very possible for the extension to get pushed back until later in the summer when things slow down in the front office.
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Possibility #2 – Money
It also could be a money issue.
Tortorella is undoubtedly worth a lot of money with the whole winning thing he and the team pulled off last season, and his current contract is mostly paid for by the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks fired Torts following the 2013-2014 season, effectively staying on the hook for the rest of Tortorella’s deal. When the CBJ scooped Torts up, the Jackets took on some of the salary but Vancouver continued to pay a hefty portion of the $2MM/year contract, and continues to do so currently.
When that deal runs out, the Jackets will be the only ones tasked to line Tortorella’s pockets. The numbers are expected to be well above his current yearly salary so maybe the Jackets just need some time to bring down Torts’ asking price.
Possibility #3 – Reading Too Much
Last, but certainly not least, we have our most likely option. Could it be just that we’re looking too much into this? Is it that we’re very bored during the offseason? Maybe we need to talk to ourselves just to keep it all together?
Yes, yes, and sadly yes.
It should be interesting to see how and when the two sides work it out. Nearly everyone expects to see Torts on the CBJ bench for at least five more years so let’s hope to see that happen.