Ex-Rangers Head Coach Issues Bold Statement Regarding The Organizations Biggest Division Rivals
Photo credit: New York Times
John Tortorella has joined ESPN again, as an analyst for the 2025-26 NHL season. Ushered out of his coaching job in Philadelphia last season, he wasn't able to find much luck in a new job in the league. However, his newest prediction for the Stanley Cup winners, the New Jersey Devils, has us curious.
Firstly, how does he arrive at that endpoint, when we've seen how Sheldon Keefe coaches NHL teams?
Secondly, this is a bold prediction for the former New York Rangers head coach, who led the team from 2009 to 2013.
During his tenure in the NHL, he'd see the Rangers through multiple playoff runs and a Winter Classic game in 2012. But he's never been able to secure a Stanley Cup after his first win in 2003-04 with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
But his prediction that the New Jersey Devils will win a Stanley Cup? It's odd to us.
The New Jersey Devils 2024-25
John Tortorella is no stranger to controversial takes, including his ranting on Trevor Zegras' Michigan goal, which stole the headlines for some time.
This one, while not reactionary or controversial in any form, is strange to us considering the Devils haven't been a factor in the playoffs since the 2023 season, when they lost in the Conference Semifinals.
The Devils lost in the first round of the 2025 playoffs and would be summarily eliminated outright to the Carolina Hurricanes, winning only one game under Sheldon Keefe.
Needless to say, his faith in an organization that hasn't been able to win anything significant since 2012 is interesting.
We all look forward to seeing Tortorella's rants from the perspective of the orthodox faction of hockey. It's the most entertaining thing about him as an analyst.
Previously on NY Rangers Insider
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