Will John Tortorella come calling for some help on defense?
Tortorella (MSG)
The Columbus Blue Jackets have fired Todd Richards and replaced him with former Rangers bench boss, John Tortorella. At his presser today, Torts was nothing but complimentary when asked about facing the Rangers.
[su_quote cite=”via SNYRANGERS” url=”https://snyrangersblog.com”]“I don’t look at it that way at all. I have a lot of great friends in that organization. The players there…I still communicate with. They are just like any other team. I want to beat them, but to pick on the Rangers, not a chance. I was treated very well there and have a lot of close relationships as you go through with a team for five years.”[/su_quote]
Girardi is a Torts favorite
TSN’s Bob McKenzie recently reported that the Blue Jackets are working very hard to acquire a top two defenseman. He also cited that at this time of the year it would be really tough to make a deal for one, but later on down the road….who knows.
Today, John Tortorella was asked about shot blocking and he immediately reiterated that it’s part of playing defense. So you can be sure that it will become a big part of the way the Blue Jackets play now. Matter of fact, you can see with that lineup a revival of the Rangers under Torts, a NYR 2011 2.0 if you will. When it comes to shot blocking, there is nobody who loves to do it more than Dan Girardi.
So just how strong are those relationships Torts was talking about? Could he eventually be eyeing some of his old blue-liners like the aforementioned Girardi or Marc Staal? Or what about Dan Boyle whom he had in Tampa Bay? As of right now, the likelihood of any deal between the Rangers and an inter-divisional rival is pretty slim. Add on top of that, each of the three players mentioned above have no move/trade clauses in their contracts.
Still, the Rangers and Blue Jackets have had a past history of dealing with each other (often). Throw in the fact that the NHL Trade Deadline falls on the same day Columbus plays the Rangers at the Garden (2/29/16) and you would have one hell of a story.
News & Notes
*Derek Stepan missed practice due to a dental procedure.
*Tanner Glass has expectedly cleared waivers and will report to Hartford.
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