Tortorella not worried about job status after Jackets' 5th straight loss
John Tortorella isn't concerned about his job security after the Columbus Blue Jackets dropped their fifth straight game Sunday.
"I never worry about that. I do my job the best I can," Tortorella said following a 2-1 defeat to the Nashville Predators, according to The Athletic's Aaron Portzline. "If people want to make decisions on me, that's their decision. ... I go about my business, and I'm going to coach this team the best way I possibly can."
The Jackets' recent slide has dropped the club to fifth in the Central Division. They're five points out of a playoff spot despite playing more games than all the teams ahead of them. Columbus has missed the playoffs only once since Tortorella was hired for the 2015-16 season.
The veteran bench boss has preached defense for his entire tenure with the club, but the Blue Jackets haven't met expectations in 2021. They rank 28th in goals against per game this season (3.54) after finishing the 2020 campaign with the NHL's third-best mark (2.61).
Columbus was the talk of the NHL in January after dealing a disgruntled Pierre-Luc Dubois to the Winnipeg Jets for sniper Patrik Laine. Dubois requested a trade in the offseason, and his relationship with the club appeared to become irreparable after Tortorella benched him for a lack of effort.
The Blue Jackets' next chance to snap their skid comes Tuesday versus the Detroit Red Wings.