There seems to be a conclusion to the rumors linking John Tortorella to the New York Rangers.
Yesterday when ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reported that the Rangers were in advanced talks with Mike Sullivan regarding their head coaching vacancy, she also mentioned the possibility of Tortorella joining Sullivan’s staff as an assistant coach.
Sullivan and Tortorella worked with each other with the Rangers from 2009-13 and most recently coached alongside one another at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Mike Sullivan Is Reportedly In Advanced Talks To Become Rangers’ Head Coach With John Tortorella Expected To Join Staff
Mike Sullivan is expected to be the New York Rangers’ 38th head coach.
Now, Sullivan has officially agreed to become the Rangers’ head coach, so where does that leave Tortorella?
According to Kaplan, Tortorella did speak with the Rangers but will not be rejoining the organization after all.
Kaplan also reported that David Quinn, the former Rangers’ head coach and assistant coach under Sullivan with the Pittsburgh Penguins, will not be returning to New York as well.
Tortorella was fired by the Philadelphia Flyers toward the final stretch of the 2024-25 season and his past connections to the Rangers and Sullivan led people to believe that he could be rejoining the Rangers in some sort of capacity.
It’s unclear if Tortorella is a candidate for any other teams looking for a head coach including the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Anaheim Ducks, Seattle Kraken, and Vancouver Canucks.