John Tortorella isn’t done chasing the bench just yet.
After plenty of people figured he might walk away following his run coaching the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final, Tortorella made it clear he still wants back in. In an interview with Joe Smith of The Athletic, he said, “ Oh, I want to coach.
I want to coach now. I’m not sure if that happens, and that’s where I am in my career.
But I wanted to coach that Vegas team. I told (general manager Kelly McCrimmon) that.
”
Vegas went a different direction, promoting Ryan Craig from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights instead. That left Tortorella on the outside looking in, and for now there aren’t any openings left to chase.
Even so, if another job pops up during the 2026-27 season, he sounds likely to be picky about the fit. In that same interview, he talked about the contrast between rebuilding-type situations like the Philadelphia Flyers and the Columbus Blue Jackets and a more settled group such as Vegas.
If he gets another shot next season, it figures to be with a team that’s expected to contend for the playoffs but still has room to climb.
Elsewhere on the coaching and front-office carousel, Evan Gold is heading toward a new landing spot after not getting the Vancouver Canucks’ general manager job. Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal reported that the New York Islanders have interest in Gold, though his role there hasn’t been identified. Gold’s contract with the Boston Bruins runs through August 1st, so the picture won’t clear up for another week.
And in St. Louis, the Blues added another veteran voice around new General Manager Alexander Steen.
The team announced Sergei Zubov has been hired as an Advisor to Hockey Operations. Zubov, a Hall of Famer with a 16-year playing career that included stops with the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Dallas Stars, has spent the past several years coaching in the KHL.
In Other News...
Islanders May Have A Camp Surprise Veterans Cant Ignore
Marshall Warren is heading into training camp with a real chance to make himself part of the Islanders blue-line conversation. The 25-year-old defenseman from Long Island signed a one-year, two-way deal and has spent the summer training at home alongside veteran Islanders defensemen, a useful setup for a player trying to turn a promising stretch into something more permanent. He already gave the organization a glimpse of what he can do when he reached the NHL last October and immediately chipped in two assists in his debut, then backed that up with a strong offensive season in Bridgeport.
Now the challenge gets a lot tougher. Warren is trying to win a full-time roster spot in a camp that already has established veterans in the mix, along with younger names such as Matthew Schaefer and Isaiah George, so there will be no shortage of competition for minutes. For a local product who has already shown he can contribute in the right setting, the next few weeks will say plenty about whether that first taste of the NHL was just a moment or the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders May Finally Have A Chance To Fix Their Biggest Flaw
The Islanders have spent too much time looking for a real answer on the power play, and the need is obvious enough that even a narrow fix would matter. Their top unit has lacked a dependable finisher, which is why a player with Patrik Laines shot profile stands out as the kind of addition that could change the look of that group without requiring a full offensive overhaul.
Laines game has come with real baggage, especially at five-on-five and with the injuries that have interrupted his recent seasons, but the scoring touch has not disappeared. For a team that does not need him to drive play up and down the ice so much as punish opponents when the man advantage opens a lane, that makes the fit at least worth serious attention, even if the rest of the picture remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]