As the Columbus Blue Jackets declined in qualifying, general manager Jarmo Kekalainen gave coach John Tortorella a vote of confidence on Tuesday.
“This coaching staff has freed us from recessions before. They have done a great job in the last five or six years that they have been here. They are the ones who are going to come out of this crisis too, with the team we have,” said Kekalainen.
Columbus is 8-10-5; his percentage of 0.457 points puts him in penultimate place in the Central Division, ahead of Detroit, which the Blue Jackets receive on Tuesday night. Columbus is unbeaten in their last five games (0-4-1) and has a victory in their last eight games (1-5-2).
When informed of his general manager’s vote of confidence, Tortorella said, “I appreciate that. I just hate that he has to do this.”
Tortorella, 62, is in her sixth season with the Blue Jackets, having taken them to the playoffs four times. He said over the weekend that he was not concerned about the security of his job.
“We are all big boys here. When you are losing games and are playing as badly as we are playing, these questions should be asked,” said Tortorella on Tuesday. “I will not train a team to keep my job. I will train the team to do the best I can for the team. That will never change.”
Tortorella’s conservative and oppressive style of play and his impetuous temperament created a flurry of questions about his future with the franchise. He made headlines this season for putting some top players on the bench, including pivot Pierre-Luc Dubois, whom the Blue Jackets negotiated with Winnipeg Jets, and Patrik Laine, the player Columbus acquired for Dubois. Kekalainen talked about the Jackets finding ways to make the game fun in order to escape their losing streak. Can this happen with the Tortorella style?
“I think he has a great sense of his own style of coaching, when he needs to let go and when he has to tighten the rope. He knows when he has to step back a little or get a little closer,” said Kekalainen.
Tortorella said he would not change the way he manages players.
“Responsibility is responsibility. It’s a great summer word. People like to use ‘responsibility’ and ‘culture’ during the [offseason] but it needs to be available every day when the season starts, “he said.” Do not confuse responsibility with paralyzing players or restricting them. I feel that, as professionals, you should be held accountable. The coach’s responsibility is how to do with each one. Hitting the right button in one instance can be different from one guy to the next. That’s what we have to go through. “
Although there is speculation that Tortorella “lost space” during this skid, Columbus striker Cam Atkinson said the players “did not” at all shut down the coach.
Along with his fights on the ice, one factor that has sparked speculation about Tortorella’s future is his contract status. According to several reports, he is in the last year of his business. Kekalainen said that “unusual circumstances” due to the coronavirus pandemic “impacted contract negotiations” and that “we owe him a lot for what he did with this franchise. All other issues will be resolved over time”.
But when asked whether Tortorella would end the season as a Blue Jackets coach, Kekalainen visibly deviated from that guarantee.
“What I said is that I am 100% confident that these [coaches] will get us out of this, “he said.