Torts Extended for Three Years
Larry Brooks at the New York Post reports that the Rangers extended John Tortorella's contract, originally due to expire after this season, was extended a couple of months ago for three years....there's a lot not to like about Torts (not game planning to top players' strengths, shot blocking, constant line changes), however, from Day 1 his plan was to turn the Rangers franchise into a winner. And by integrating young players into the line-up and ushering out bad contracts I feel that Tortorella has the organization headed in the right direction for the first time in a long time.
...it's not going to happen over night either, so Rangers fans will need to be patient the next few years, but trust me it will be worth it.
Torts on the Rangers moving forward...
"I don't think our team is fully built yet, and I'll be honest, we're not there as far as talent," Tortorella said minutes after the season came to an end. "You look at where this Washington team was, and [how they added] draft picks.
"We're still in a process, trying to get better," he added. "There are areas with our team where we need to be better. But we'll continue to build and continue to find our way."
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31g0YE61PLQ
Last night Torts GUARANTEED his team would be ready to put up a fight, yet he could not even promise that. In over 82 games this season, i have no clue what our game plan is.
It cant be EVERY time, dump the puck in. Especially (like last night) when they dumped but not one person rushed in to retrieve it. Their only offensive move is get the puck deep and cycle... its good until you do it 99x and the defense is intercepts the back pass bcuz they knew it waas coming.
Our defense cant be just dumping the puck out half the time either. Were giving our weak offense less time with the puck.
Now hes kind of blaming the teams talent? I am sorry but on paper our team has a lot of talent than most teams. I think the Isles could have had a better playoff series against the Caps, seriously. And they have younger team, and less all stars.
*** I feel Torts does no research on his decisions. He stated himself he hardly does any film work. Well i am sorry, but all the best (successful) coaches in every sport are the ones who spend time with their team doing research on other teams and preparing for whats next. He makes too many line changes, its not bad, until the line is doing well and then he still changes them...
I am confident the Rangers could have spent all summer finding a better coach, so im bummed
@MarkFox Umm, gotta defend Torts here all the way. If you watched more than a handful of games this year, dumping the puck and grinding is our game plan. That's what we do. We're a gritty team. As Torts correctly said, we do NOT have the talent the Caps have (and no, the Islanders wouldn't have come close to having a better series against the Caps, especially the newly improved Caps, which unfortunately is true, they're a completely different team). Our skill players include Gabby, Anisimov, Christiansen, and Wolski. The only true stud there is obviously Gabby. Cally is not a skill player, he's a superb grind it out player. Dubie's the same. Both talented and awesome players but they're not going to dance around people.
We're also a young team, and there are not many coaches who could've whipped this team into shape like Torts did. The line changes may have been excessive at times, but contrary to what some of us may believe, he probably knows his team better than we did.
When did Torts ever admit to not using video? I've never heard him say that and I'm pretty sure he does his fair share.
I don't think I'd want another coach leading this team right now. He was hugely influential in his support for the youth movement, which is exactly what we need. He's a no bullshit kinda guy, which is exactly what we need. For all his flaws, the pros far outweigh the cons.
@MarkFox And let's not forget the injuries we dealt with this year. I would argue that Torts should have been in the running for coach of the year. Let's not let a playoff series where we were overmatched (even if the scores didn't say so, the chances did) undermine the job Torts did.
Finally, some good news on a disappointing day. I would agree that Torts has some faults but frankly I could not think of anyone better to lead us to the future.
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I like torts, i think if he had more consistent lines and worked on the power play all off season(preseason) then we will be fine, the line juggeling is a bit much though. i understand switching it up here and there but consistent lines are needed.
