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Columbus Blue Jackets: Like It or Not, John Tortorella Here to Stay

By William Espy

DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets talks to a player on the bench against the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on November 11, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. The Blue Jackets defeated the Red Wings 2-1 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach John Tortorella of the Columbus Blue Jackets talks to a player on the bench against the Detroit Red Wings during an NHL game at Little Caesars Arena on November 11, 2017 in Detroit, Michigan. The Blue Jackets defeated the Red Wings 2-1 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Dave Reginek/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Some groups of fans are encouraging the Columbus Blue Jackets management to move on from head coach John Tortorella, however it makes little sense.

Moving on from Brad Larsen could be logical for the Columbus Blue Jackets, however John Tortorella is by far the best man for the job at this point in time.

While it would be nice to have someone like Joel Quenneville as a coach in Columbus, is it worth making such a major move that may not even pay off?

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Joel Quenneville would certainly be a future Hall of Fame coach, however so is John Tortorella. Tortorella is a two time Jack Adams award winner, once with the Columbus Blue Jackets, a former Stanley Cup champion with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the franchise leader in wins for the Blue Jackets.

Tortorella has only had four losing seasons points-wise in his NHL coaching career and despite his disaster of a season in Vancouver, his points percentage was still above .500. His playoff record may not be the best, however neither is the Blue Jackets’ with or without him. This is a cliff they need to get over together.

Tortorella is 30 games away from being the longest tenured coach in franchise history, currently he’s third behind former beloved coaches Ken Hitchcock and Todd Richards. Despite being third in games coached, he’s already set the franchise record for wins by a coach. Tortorella is also currently tied for 19th all time in wins in league history. (Stats from hockey-reference.com.)

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Tortorella is also first in franchise history for point percentage by a coach. The Blue Jackets have yet to have a losing season under Tortorella and he’s led the team to third in the Metropolitan division so far this season. As a result, moving on from the best coach in team history just because there’s a new shiny rock on the beach would be a foolish move to make.

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