John Tortorella's replacement as Columbus Blue Jackets head coach is going to have to get more ... [+] offensively out of Patrik Laine without sacrificing the accountability that the former coach established. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/NHLI via Getty Images) NHLI via Getty ImagesColumbus Blue Jackets players won’t have to answer to task-master coach John Tortorella anymore, but they shouldn’t expect anything to be easier in the seasons ahead. A lot of the Blue Jackets’ problems stemmed from a lack of offense. Patrik Laine had his public feuds with Tortorella after he was acquired in a trade with Winnipeg, and averaged just 0.22 goals per game in 45 contests for the Blue Jackets. Even after the Blue Jackets re-sign a handful of restricted free agents, including Laine, they could have more than $15 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly.com.

Source: Forbes May 10, 2021 18:33 UTC