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Tortorella, Zibanejad, team awards and more

By Steve Paulus

SUNRISE, FL - APRIL 23: Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers watches action in the Florida Panthers zone during the third period at the BB&T Center on April 23, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL - APRIL 23: Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers watches action in the Florida Panthers zone during the third period at the BB&T Center on April 23, 2013 in Sunrise, Florida. The Panthers defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /
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Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
Head coach John Tortorella of the New York Rangers(Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

The signing of Ryan Lindgren by the New York Rangers on breakup day came as a surprise and that means anything could happen in the coming weeks so it’s time to get caught up on what is going on in Rangersland.

Tortorella 3?

Yes, it would officially be the third tour of duty for John Tortorella if he found himself behind the Rangers’ bench next season.  He coached four games in 2000, then spent over four seasons coaching the team to the Eastern Conference Finals.   Now, he has parted ways with the Columbus Blue Jackets and is available.

Tortorella is one of the more volatile coaches in the NHL and a two time Jack Adams Trophy winner as coach of the year.   There’s no doubt he is one of the best behind an NHL bench, but his relationship with players can be destructive.  Witness the Pierre-Luc Dubois fiasco this season and no one can forget his banishing Marian Gaborik when he coached he Rangers.  While he has mellowed since his days in New York, he is still a controversial character.

Do the Rangers even want to make a coaching change?  The common thinking is that David Quinn’s future will be greatly influenced by the exit interviews conducted by Chris Drury this week.  If Quinn has the guys in the room behind him, he may well be back since Drury was part of the team that originally hired him.  Drury is a B.U. guy and was instrumental in bringing Quinn aboard so smart money has Quinn coming back.   How long they will keep him twisting in the wind will be interesting to watch, but  it is smart of Drury to see what shakes out in the coaching ranks after the season.

Don’t forget, the Rangers hired Quinn on May 23, 2018.  The question has to be if the Rangers had known that Stanley Cup winner Barry Trotz was going to be available, would they have waited to make that coaching decision?  The Islanders hired him a month after Quinn got the job after Trotz parted ways with the Capitals after winning the Cup.

There’s no reason to rush the coaching decision as it will be the most important call of Drury’s brief tenure.   Rick Tocchet and John Tortorella are just two of the names that recently became available.

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