5 Potential Landing Spots For John Tortorella in 2025

The first big domino of coaching free agency in the NHL has fallen with the Philadelphia Flyers announcing Thursday that they’ve parted ways with their head coach of three seasons, John Tortorella. 

The move seemed inevitable, given the Flyers’ record this season and Torts’ public comments following a 7-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs this week. 

“I’m not really interested in learning how to coach in this type of season, where we’re at right now,” he said Tuesday. 

Now, Tortorella becomes the most sought-after coaching free agent for teams this offseason, assuming the University of Denver’s David Carle doesn’t enter the carousel following the end of the NCAA season. 

Here are five potential fits for the 66-year-old free agent. 

5 Potential Landing Spots for John Tortorella in 2025

1. Boston Bruins

Immediately following the announcement of Tortorella’s firing, Boston Bruins Twitter was set ablaze with fans joking that a Boston hiring could be imminent. Some viewed it as the perfect choice, while others saw it more as an inevitable disaster. 

But there are a lot of reasons why a Tortorella and Bruins marriage could make sense. First off, he’s a Boston native. He played in high school in Concord, Mass., and played college hockey in the New England area at the University of Maine. 

Maybe Torts wouldn’t want to jump from one rebuild to another, but the circumstances in Boston are far different from those in Philadelphia. The core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy, and Jeremy Swayman sets a floor of contention when all three are healthy and playing to their standard. 

His style could potentially not mix well with those veteran players, though. Some veterans reportedly objected to former Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy’s hard-nosed coaching style, which played a part in his firing prior to the 2021 season. 

Torts certainly won’t be any better than Cassidy in that department. 

If they can overcome that, Tortorella could be the perfect fit for a team that needs a rejuvenating disciplinarian. 

With interim Bruins coach Joe Sacco being likely the next coach fired, the Bruins could very well replace him with Tortorella. 

2. Buffalo Sabres

Like the Bruins, the Sabres were another team that hockey Twitter immediately speculated and joked could be the landing spot for Tortorella.

Would he want to enter an even worse situation than Philadelphia in Buffalo? Maybe not. But could he be enticed with full reign over a team that has looked listless and rudderless for the better part of a decade?

The situation is so bleak for the Sabres that management would probably take the opportunity to roll the dice on a coach who has the potential to change their culture. At worst, he could anger their young talent and mess up their timeline. But is anyone good enough on Buffalo to warrant worrying about lowering the morale?

Assuming they move on from Lindy Ruff at season’s end, Tortorella could be a good fit for the Sabres. 

3. Nashville Predators

Like Boston and Buffalo, Nashville is another team that’ll probably be looking for a new coach this offseason if they move on from Andrew Brunette. 

Brunette was predicted to be one of the first coaches fired by The Athletic earlier this season, and his recent media comments have further complicated his place with the Predators. 

They’re another rebuilding team that could take a flyer (no pun intended) on Tortorella and see if he can shake up their roster. 

Strangely enough, Nashville does have a solid mix of veteran players to go along with prospects and drafted players yet to make their NHL debuts, so maybe Torts could be the guy to tie it all together. 

4. Minnesota Wild

The previous three teams have all been rebuilding ones that need a complete culture reset. 

However, the Minnesota Wild may fit into a category of “one move away” teams. Maybe for the Wild, that one move could be bringing in a head coach with a little more pedigree than their current skipper, John Hynes. 

Minnesota’s roster has players at every talent level whether that’s in their prime, veterans, or youngsters and rookies on the rise. 

Tortorella’s antics would probably play pretty well in a hockey-obsessed market like Minnesota. 

Also, if he’s looking for more of a win-now situation, where a few tweaks to their scheme and/or culture can right the ship, then Minnesota could be his top choice. 

5. Pittsburgh Penguins

Outside of it being high comedy for the Pittsburgh Penguins to poach the coach from the Philadelphia Flyers this move doesn’t make much sense.

The timeline doesn’t really work here. If we’re to believe Crosby and the rest of The Big Three are out the door, then why would the Penguins want to bring in a high-profile and likely high-dollar coach?

But crazier things have happened in the NHL. 

Tortorella has a history of being petty, look at the recent Cutter Gauthier saga as evidence. He may see an opportunity to get one over on the Flyers by joining a divisional and cross-state rival in Pittsburgh. 

The Penguins will likely be looking for a new head coach this offseason, and Pittsburgh’s new owners could be looking to make a big splash. 

If Mike Sullivan ends up out of a job, Tortorella could be the one to fill his shoes.