New York Rangers

Sullivan Official, Tortorella Not Joining Rangers After All

Former Rangers and Flyers head coach John Tortorella will not rejoin the New York Rangers organization after all.

by
NHL Trade Talk
May 2, 2025

John Tortorella doesn’t appear to be joining Mike Sullivan in New York after all. Following reports that Sulivan was being hired as the next head coach (confirmed on Friday), it was being said that the Rangers also wanted to bring in Tortorella and that James Dolan was a fan. Reports are coming out now that Tortorella will not be joining the team.

Emily Kaplan of ESPN writes, “John Tortorella did speak with the Rangers but will not be re-joining after all. Believe Sullivan’s contract is for five years – and is the highest annual salary for a coach in NHL history.”

Arthur Staple noted, “Not sure if this is out there yet, but seems as though the Tortorella-to-#NYR thing isn’t true. He won’t be on Mike Sullivan’s staff as far as I know.”

TSN’s Darren Dreger writes, “Some speculation around Torts joining Sully on the NYR bench. I don’t believe there’s anything to that.”

Time will tell if things change and Torts is brought in down the line in a higher capacity than as a coach. The Rangers have committed to Sullivan, who certainly would have had some say in who came along as part of his coaching staff.

Mike Sullivan Officially Hired as Coach

Sullivan was announced as the 38th Head Coach in Rangers history on Friday morning. Dolan noted in a statement: “I would like to welcome Mike back to the Rangers organization. Mike’s track record and success in the NHL and internationally speaks for itself, and I look forward to seeing him behind the Rangers bench.”

GM Chris Drury added:

“Mike Sullivan has established himself as one of the premier head coaches in the NHL,” Drury said. “Given his numerous accomplishments throughout his coaching career – including two Stanley Cups and leading Team USA at the international level … As we began this process and Mike became an available option for us to speak with, it was immediately clear that he was the best coach to lead our team.”