I rarely write blog entries. But when I do, they are usually about Star Wars or Blue Jackets. This one falls into the latter category. Before I go on, I realize there are a lot of Tortorella supporters out there who think the world of him. Arguments rage on Twitter between those who want him fired and those who believe he should stay on as head coach well into the future. This blog entry is not intended to start a fight. I respect the opinions of those who believe Torts should stay. I just happen to disagree. I just wanted to politely present my reasons for thinking this way for whomever wishes to read them. I don't want any flaming hatred sent my way. But what I wouldn't mind is a well-written, respectful rebuttal. As someone who believes Torts should have been fired long ago, I would honestly be interested in hearing reasons for keeping him around.
POST-SEASON SUCCESS
Most arguments FOR keeping Tortorella as coach center around the fact that he has coached the Jackets to 4 straight playoff appearances. For some, making it to the post season 4 consecutive seasons is enough to justify retaining him. They view these seasons as "successes."
I view them differently. I agree they indicate some measure of success. The Jackets had a winning record and qualified for a chance to win the Stanley Cup. Many other teams did not even get that chance. However, I believe simply making the playoffs is not indicative of a successful coach. I view those four seasons with the following caveats:
- Sure, they made the playoffs and even swept a historically good team one year. But in four years they have never made it past the second round of the playoffs. That's not good enough for me. I believe the Jackets' roster is (and has been) talented enough to make it past the second round.
- I believe the Jackets made it to the playoffs in spite of Torts, not because of him. I believe they had the talent to make the playoffs with a different coach. In fact, I believe a different coach could have taken them even farther. The problem with this thought is that there is absolutely no way to prove I am correct. But it is equally impossible to prove I am wrong.
- If it wasn't for the Covid-shortened season last year, I don't think the Jackets would have made the playoffs. If I remember correctly they were holding onto the last spot by a thread, with other teams with games in hand. The play-in round saved their consecutive playoff streak.
ROSTER MANAGEMENT
Today I read Coach Tortorella plans on sitting Liam Foudy because he has been "inconsistent." This is the latest in a long string of head-scratching roster decisions that have both inhibited the growth of our youth and contributed to minimal success in the win column. Perhaps Foudy is inconsistent because his linemates are inconsistent due to the infamous Torts Line Blender? Perhaps if given more ice time with the same linemates, more chemistry would develop, resulting in more consistency?
Torts relies too heavily on his veterans which delays the growth of our younger players. I had been calling for Oliver Bjorkstrand to get more ice time for years. Look at him now. He is currently one of the top players on the Blue Jackets and a roster mainstay. He could have reached this status much sooner had he been given the opportunity to grow. Instead he rode the pine and is just coming into his own now. Currently Foudy, Robinson, Bemstrom, and Stenlund are experiencing similarly high "butt to bench" ratios when they belong on the ice more than the seasoned vets. I still contend Torts did not handle Sonny Milano properly and the Jackets squandered a huge opportunity with him. He also overplayed Alex Wennberg when he was here. Obviously this is just my opinion and there is no concrete data I can use to justify my claim.
I am tired of the line blender. There is no way for players to develop chemistry. Torts has been doing this for years and seems to think that SOMETHING is eventually going to work...but it never does. He plays Foligno way too high in the lineup and for too many minutes, sacrificing ice time for the young offensive talent mentioned above. He recently took Domi off of center, his natural position. He put Bjorkstrand with a center (Nash) who is more of a grinder/safety net than the playmaker needed to feed Bjorky and his wicked shot. Cam and Seth are struggling and he started them in overtime. He gives high minutes to struggling players and "punishes" producing players like Robinson with fewer minutes.
What happens when Nyquist returns? Who comes out then? I don't trust Torts to make the proper call.
TORTS' SYSTEM AND STYLE
Josh Anderson seems to be flourishing in his short time with his new team, outside the Torts system while Max Domi has been much less impressive.
William Karlsson went from a 3rd line grinder in Torts' system to a 40 goal scorer in Vegas. Did Torts not recognize his potential? Is he unable to accurately evaluate the talent on his roster?
Even Panarin experienced an increase in points in his first season away from the Jackets. It will be interesting to see what happens to the production of PLD and Laine in their new environments. I will also be following Milano's career trajectory. If these players continue to flourish away from Torts then it becomes a trend, not an anomaly.
I am not a professional analyst, but the Jackets don't seem to be playing a style that reflects their strengths. They have young, fast players. But they often play a dump-and-chase, grind-it-out style. They don't maximize their possession time nor generate enough shots on goal. They rely too heavily on their excellent goaltending and, until this year, their stellar defensemen. All of this is indicative of a coach who does not properly utilize the strengths of his players.
THE PLD SITUATION
I am a teacher. I have had at least one bad administrator in my career. If another professional in my field approached me and asked my opinion of said administrator, I would remain professional. I wouldn't call him/her out. I wouldn't speak ill of him/her. Because I am a professional and will not make such comments out of respect. This is my opinion of what happened with Dubois.
My gut tells me Dubois had issues with Torts and perhaps others on the coaching staff. Again, I have no proof to back this up. But for all the people who say "PLD said it had nothing to do with Torts" I am telling you that doesn't mean squat. PLD (despite being unprofessional in the way he handled other aspects of his forced departure) was being professional. He would not want to publicly speak ill of Torts. Lots of reasons to hold his tongue, one being so that he would appear in a positive light for his next coach and come across as a more valuable asset. He probably knew other GM's would be less inclined to trade for someone who bad-mouthed his coach. He was thinking of his future. If you ask any current Jackets player his opinion of his coach, would any of them really say "yeah, I don't like him?" No way. That's an express ticket to the Torts doghouse. What I am getting at is that you can't read too much into what players say regarding their opinions about their coaches.
Which leads me to other former Jackets who did not wish to remain with the team. Say what you want, I think Torts was a factor. The coach is always a factor in a decision whether to remain with a team or join a new one. When considering their career's future, I am 100% sure a player takes the coach into consideration in addition to his family, the city, his teammates, and of course money. Would Panarin have changed his mind if the Jackets had a different head coach? Almost definitely not. But you never know. Only Panarin does.
THE ROAD TO RESPECTABILITY
The Blue Jackets are a respectable team now and Tortorella has played a huge role in that transformation. I appreciate all the good things he has done for this team. He was a good coach but he is not the RIGHT coach for these Blue Jackets. We need someone who can lead them to the next level. With looming big free agents in Jones, Werenski, and Laine, now is the time for Jarmo to make a decision about the future of the team at the head coaching level. Does he truly believe that Torts is the man to get the most out of our youth? If so, I would question his judgment given what I mentioned above regarding Karlsson, Anderson, Bjorkstrand, Milano, and the group of young players currently seeing limited ice time in favor of under-performing veterans. Does Jarmo truly think Torts is the man to lead this team to the Stanley Cup? If so, what promotes such optimism after four years of decent (but not overly impressive) showings? Granted the Jackets had their 108 point season in Tortorella's first full season...but I call that catching lightning in a bottle.
The Jackets' power play is terrible and has been for several years. Despite having high end talent, they are not scoring goals and have been a low-scoring team for years. The Jackets have gone through many roster changes over the last four plus seasons. Lots of new players, but similar results. It's time for a shake up at the top. It's time for a coaching change. Let's see what someone else, with a different style and a different perspective, can get out of this group. I think we would only see positive results.
The bottom line is that I don't think this team is playing to its full capabilities. While a lot of that falls on the players, the coach is responsible for getting the most he can out of what he has. Torts is simply not doing that. This team can be so much more and in my opinion, a new coach will prove that.
Please remember, this is just my opinion. If you disagree and believe Torts should remain as head coach, that's great. I respect that and wish I agreed with you. I'm tired of seeing people call each other horrible names, curse at each other, and belittle fellow CBJ fans simply because they have opposing opinions on a coach. If you are reading this, you are probably a Jackets fan. We all want what's best for our team. So, again, I simply wanted to share my opinion. You are welcome to voice your disagreement, but please do it respectfully.
And if I am wrong, Torts turns this thing around, and leads the Jackets to the second round and beyond, I will gladly and publicly eat crow.
Anthony
