Insider wonders if John Tortorella is intentionally trying to get himself kicked out of Columbus

There's very little we could write that hasn't already been written about Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella over the last few weeks. From the horribly messy relationship with Pierre-Luc Dubois that led to him being traded to Winnipeg, to this week's benching of Patrik Laine, the key piece involved in the Dubois trade, Tortorella has had his name thrown all over sports media. There are plenty on either side of the debate. Some see Tortorella as an old-school style coach who demands, and gets, the best out of his players. Others see him as a dinosaur who has run and will continue to run star players out of town. One thing that hasn't been mentioned so far, though is whether Tortorella's actions might be intentional, a way of getting himself fired from his position in Columbus. We're now hearing that possibility being brought up.

Aaron Portzline, who covers the Blue Jackets for The Athletic (and does an excellent job of it) appeared on TSN 690 Radio in Montreal Wednesday where he mused over the idea that benching players is Tortorella's way of getting himself fired from Columbus.

I'm really not sure if there's any possibility that this might be the case. I'm also not sure anyone can fully get inside the head of a person like Torts.

"There's a theory Tortorella wants out, that he's forcing the Blue Jackets to fire him," said Elliotte Friedman in his latest edition of 31 Thoughts. "Everything I hear is that's absolutely not the case — he feels a loyalty to the organization and the players there who've supported him to find a way to overcome all the challenges they've faced. I can see [GM Jarmo] Kekalainen wanting to turn down the temperature, end the drama and just play. Columbus is very much in the race, although COVID-related shutdowns have them and surprising Chicago way ahead in games played."

While Tortorella has always been a hard-ass as a coach, either he's become even more erratic in his methods recently, or he's getting much more notice. Laine's current contract is up at the end of this year. While he will still be a restricted free agent, Laine has already made over $10 million in his career, more than enough to sit at home and wait for a trade if that's what he chooses to do. It will certainly be interesting to see how this all pans out.

We did learn Tuesday night that Laine's recent benching was apparently the result of "bad-mouthing" an assistant coach prior to the game. You can read more about that below.

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