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.
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For the Blues, the contrast is a little different. Alex Steen is focused on keeping the culture steady, and there is no sense of a front office shakeup coming soon, even as St. Louis continues to sort through roster questions of its own. Jordan Binnington is back in the fold, and the club has at least kept tabs on a few intriguing names, but the bigger challenge is deciding how bold to be without losing the stability the Blues seem intent on protecting. [Read more 🡒]
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Those numbers also carry some franchise history, which is part of what makes these assignments worth noticing in the first place. The Blues have had notable players wear each of them over the years, and even something as routine as a number decision can feel like a marker of where the team has been and where it is headed next. [Read more 🡒]