Blue Jackets GM: Players 'learn to appreciate' Tortorella

Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen believes that while head coach John Tortorella may be tough on his players, he gets the job done effectively.

"Rick Nash puts it in a good way when I talk to him about Torts - and they were together in New York - and Rick Nash said that you always know where you're at with John Tortorella," Kekalainen said Sunday on the NHL's "Executive Suite" podcast. "There's no gray area, there's no wondering, 'What does he think of me?' He'll let you know what you do right, what you do wrong, and I think that's a real good quality."

Tortorella has long been known for his outspoken nature, which has led to him publicly criticizing his players. Most recently, he called out Anthony Duclair last season for being "off the rails," adding he was unsure if the winger knows how to play hockey.

"I think that players, at the end of the day, they appreciate it, and I've heard a lot of guys talk about Torts a lot more fondly in the past tense," Kekalainen added. "They learn to appreciate how he was like after the fact, after he had coached them because then they get into other situations and they realize the coach is telling one thing in front and the other thing behind your back, and that's something that I know that the players do not appreciate."

The veteran coach has been at the helm in Columbus since the 2015-16 campaign. He's led the club to the postseason the last three years, including its first playoff series win last season against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He won the Jack Adams Award in 2004 and 2017.