Report: John Tortorella Tried to Quit the Blue Jackets Last Season

Reports have surfaced detailing how John Tortorella tried to step down last offseason after the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Columbus Blue Jackets from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This according to Aaron Portzline of The Athletic, who is one of the most in-tuned beat reporters covering any team in the NHL.

Torts and the Blue Jackets have of course mutually parted ways after this season but it's certainly a development how the head coach never really wanted to be there this season in the first place. No wonder he didn't care about benching players or trying to make relationships work. The report included how the Blue Jackets reportedly wouldn't fire Tortorella. And if he quit, the 62-year-old wouldn't have received his $2.5-million salary for the final year of his contract. He still wouldn't have been paid his full compensation in 2020-21 if Tortorella agreed to accept a different role in the organization.

While the money was a factor in his decision to return, former captain Nick Foligno also convinced Tortorella to stay. Foligno, who was later traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to the trade deadline, told him he wanted to "finish what we started," before the start of this season, this according to Portzline.

The Blue Jackets move on after Torts led them to their best stretch in franchise history. Meanwhile for the former head coach, don't expect him out of the game of hockey very long.