“Don’t even start”: John Tortorella shuts down NHL comeback rumors linked to Buffalo Sabres

Former Philadelphia Flyers head coach John Tortorella made it clear on Thursday night that any talk about him returning to the NHL soon is way off base. The 67-year-old, who is now an analyst for ESPN, responded to the increasing rumors connecting him to the Buffalo Sabres and he did it in classic Tortorella style. "No, I have not, Emily," Tortorella responded, as quoted by Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News. He added, "Don't even start," emphasizing his reluctance to entertain the topic further.

Tortorella's statements emerged amidst increasing speculation tying him to the Sabres, spurred by his earlier professional ties with Kekalainen and the team's ongoing challenges. As an in-studio analyst for ESPN, Tortorella was commenting on the game, providing insights into the Sabres' performance following the recent firing of their last general manager, Kevyn Adams.

John Tortorella publicly confirms there has been no contact from the Buffalo Sabres

John Buccigross from ESPN talked about possible coaching changes for the Sabres during the Frankly Hockey podcast. Buccigross mentioned, "We were talking about Buffalo and a coach and I had mentioned...Peter DeBoer; I had this little birdie tell me, John Tortorella, there's obviously a connection in Buffalo, Jarmo hired him in Columbus."

Previously, NHL insider Jeff Marek mentioned on Daily Faceoff Live on October 14, 2025, that he thought, "Do we see Jarmo Kekalainen in [as GM] and does he bring a former Buffalo Sabre assistant coach...John Tortorella with him?" This was in the context of potential front-office changes for the Sabres.


Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News, that Tortorella "is the most rumored name as a possible replacement for Ruff, if the Sabres wanted to move in that direction." Harrington mentioned that Tortorella's pregame remarks confirmed there hasn't been any outreach from the Sabres regarding a coaching position.

Rachel Lenzi of The Buffalo News echoed this, stating, "Tortorella said on ESPN ... that he has not gotten a call from the #Sabres about a potential coaching opening."

John Tortorella calls out Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson for lack of effort

During the ESPN coverage of the Flyers-Sabres matchup, Tortorella offered some direct commentary on the Sabres' gameplay. He notably pointed out forward Tage Thompson's lack of effort in the first period, expressing his disappointment. Tortorella talked about Thompson two times during the "The Point" segment and once more during the first intermission.

In his commentary, Tortorella talked about what the Sabres players were doing, what they weren't doing, and how they might react to the recent change in general manager. He shared his thoughts on how the team could respond to Adams' firing, offering suggestions on how the group could get better during this uncertain time.

John Tortorella says talk of an NHL return is premature despite not ruling out future coaching

Even though Tortorella has put a stop to any talk about coming back right now, he hasn't completely dismissed the idea of coaching again. He mentioned that any chatter about an NHL return is a bit too soon.

Insiders like Buccigross and Marek have pointed out that it makes sense given his past with Kekalainen and the Sabres, but Tortorella's current gig with ESPN and the Olympics indicates that he isn't making any moves just yet.

Previous reports indicate that Tortorella's exits from teams are usually mutual or tied to contracts. For example, Darren Dreger mentioned on NBCSN in April 2021 that Tortorella was unlikely to come back to Columbus, becoming a free agent once his contract ended.

In the same vein, Aaron Portzline verified in May 2021 that Tortorella would not be returning to the Blue Jackets.

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