Former Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella nearing deal with Philadelphia Flyers

Get ready for the next chapter of John Tortorella’s NHL coaching career.

The Dispatch has confirmed a Wednesday report by television analyst Kevin Weekes that Tortorella, the Blue Jackets’ all-time leader in games coached (447), victories (227) and winning percentage (.568), is negotiating a deal to coach the Philadelphia Flyers.

Tortorella, 63, helped turn the Blue Jackets into a perennial contender for the Stanley Cup playoffs after joining the organization early in the 2015-16 season. Under his guidance, Columbus set a franchise record by qualifying for the playoffs in four straight seasons (2016-20) and the Jackets pulled off a stunning first-round sweep of the heavily-favored Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. 

The Lightning exacted their revenge in 2020 by ousting the Blue Jackets from the pandemic-fueled postseason quarantine bubble in Toronto and now are vying to win the Cup for a third straight season. Tortorella’s tenure in Columbus ended after 2020-21, when he and the team “parted ways” after his contract expired.

Brad Larsen, an assistant during Tortorella’s stint with the Jackets, was hired as the team’s next head coach last summer. Larsen guided Columbus to a 37-38-7 record in his first season running the bench and the Jackets’ sixth-place finish in the Metropolitan Division surprised most analysts. Now, after lauding his experience working with Tortorella, he’ll likely match wits with his predecessor in the same division.

Philadelphia finished last in the eight-team Metro last season, which was marred by injuries, a coaching change, an ugly 25-46-11 record and the search for a new bench boss to replace Mike Yeo, who finished the season as the Flyers’ interim coach.

A source told the Dispatch the Flyers have offered the position to Tortorella, but the coach and team are working out details of a contract. Assuming they finalize a deal, it takes another NHL coaching vacancy off the table just one day after the Vegas Golden Knights hired recently-fired Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy to replace Peter DeBoer.

Other teams either looking for a new coach or debating a switch from an interim coach include the Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets. The list of available coaches with NHL head coaching experience includes Barry Trotz, DeBoer, Claude Julien, Paul Maurice, Rick Tocchet, Jeff Blashill, Dave Tippett, Yeo and Tortorella until he finalizes a deal with the Flyers.

Tocchet’s relationship with the Flyers from his playing career had some penciling him in as the next head coach in Philadelphia. The former head coach of the Arizona Coyotes spent 11 of 18 NHL seasons as a player wearing the Flyers’ uniform and logged 621 of his 1,144 career games in Philly.

Tortorella, however, is the Flyers’ top choice.

Originally from Boston, the 20-year NHL veteran head coach is fiery, demanding and a staunch defender of his players — shouldering blame as much as doling it out to create a team culture in which airing grievances is the preferred way of resolving conflicts.

That approach could be a boon in a fickle Philadelphia sports market that’s quick to criticize both players and coaches. It could also result in the type of coach-reporter clashes that Tortorella has become famous for having during previous stints with the Lightning, New York Rangers, Vancouver Canucks and Blue Jackets — though his time in Columbus was generally less volatile than his previous three stops. 

Coincidentally, Tocchet and Tortorella spent this season as television analysts.

Tocchet works as a Turner Sports studio host during national playoff broadcasts, working as a straight man for the comedic Paul Bissonnette. Tortorella dished out opinions and relayed fans' tweets about “chicken parm,” to ESPN host John Buccigross during an afternoon NHL program.

Now, “Torts” will likely forego his TV role to coach the Flyers, where he’ll be reunited with former Blue Jackets star forward Cam Atkinson — a supporter of Tortorella’s demanding style while the two were in Columbus.

bhedger@dispatch.com

@BrianHedger

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: John Tortorella, former CBJ coach, close to deal with Flyers