Auston Matthews, Connor McDavid and John Tortorella are suddenly back in the same Toronto coaching question.
Elliotte Friedman's thought matters because it hit 2 open jobs at once. With Tortorella leaving Vegas at the end of June, Friedman wondered whether Toronto or Edmonton could think about him.
That is not random noise. Tortorella already confirmed his Vegas run was always temporary, and that turns him into a real name the second the Final ends.
Toronto is the cleaner hockey fit on the surface. The Maple Leafs fired Craig Berube on May 13 and still have not named a replacement, which leaves John Chayka staring at the biggest coaching call of his first summer.
That also makes the Tortorella idea complicated. Toronto has been linked to Bruce Cassidy, Patrick Roy, Joe Pavelski, and other names, so adding Tortorella to that pile would mean the Leafs are still keeping the search wider than people thought.
And Tortorella would not be a quiet hire there. A team coming off a 32-36-14 season would be bringing in one of the loudest, hardest bench voices in the sport.
" Elliotte Friedman: Re John Tortorella: If Vegas doesn't keep him, would there be any chance Toronto would think about it? Or Edmonton? - 32 Thoughts (6/15) "
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Even though the Devils have publicly backed Sheldon Keefe for next season, coaching situations can change quickly in the NHL. If John Tortorella becomes available, New Jersey could at least explore the possibility.
The John Tortorella story just took another surprising turn after Friedman's latest update
Because the Oilers also fired their coach and have looked messy ever since. Kris Knoblauch was let go on May 14, no replacement was named, and the search has already drifted through Bruce Cassidy and Mike Babcock talk.
That is where Tortorella starts to make more sense. Edmonton needs a strong voice fast, and it may want a coach who can cut through a room built around Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl without needing a long runway.
There is also a practical angle. Toronto can still sell glamour, roster talent, and the first-overall pick. Edmonton's search has looked more urgent, which makes a proven coach coming straight off a Cup run feel easier to imagine.
The risk is obvious in both cities. Tortorella brings structure and edge, but he also brings heat, and neither market is exactly short on that already.
For the Leafs, the question is whether Chayka wants another big personality while the room is already unstable. For the Oilers, the question is whether Stan Bowman needs exactly that.
That is why Friedman's idea has legs. John Tortorella is not just a former Vegas coach about to hit the market. He is the kind of name that can change the temperature of a search the second he becomes available.
And right now, Toronto and Edmonton are the 2 teams that feel most vulnerable to that kind of swing.
Which team makes more sense for John Tortorella right now?
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