John Tortorella on forward line combinations: It’s a bunch of BS

John-Tortorella

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella. (Gene J. Puskar/AP)

Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella was asked about how he picks who plays where on his forward lines and he dropped some hard truth.

It’s all bulls—.

Aaron Portzline from The Athletic has the full quote.

“It’s a bunch of bulls—. I get a kick out of us, as coaches… we talk about this, that and the other thing,” he said. “‘This is what I’m looking for.’ It’s a bunch of bulls—. We try things, and if it works, it works.”

Well whatever BS Torts is flinging, it seems to be working. The defending Jack Adams winner currently has the Blue Jackets in first place in the crowded Metro Division. Their 14-7-1 record, good for 29 points, is the third-best in the entire NHL.

Some might point to the strong play of Sergei Bobrovsky or Zach Werenski or Artemi Panarin for why the Blue Jackets have played so well.

But if you’re John Tortorella, you point to bulls—.

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