His subsequent three playoff appearances with the Lightning yielded a combined record of 8-14.
After moving to the New York Rangers, Tortorella secured four postseason appearances over a five-season stretch.
Under his guidance, the Rangers exited in the first round twice, reached the second round once, and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2012, finishing with an overall playoff record of 19-25.
The Columbus Blue Jackets and Vegas Golden Knights Eras
In 2016, Tortorella joined the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise that had only reached the postseason twice prior to his arrival.
He guided Columbus to four consecutive playoff appearances, winning at least one round in the final two seasons.
During the 2019 postseason, the eighth-seeded Blue Jackets completed a massive upset by sweeping the 128-point Tampa Bay Lightning 4-0 before falling in the second round.
The following year, Columbus defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the expanded postseason bubble before Tampa Bay avenged their previous loss.
With only a few weeks remaining in the 2025-26 regular season, the Vegas Golden Knights chose to fire Bruce Cassidy and appoint Tortorella.
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The decision proved successful, as Tortorella led the team to a 12-4 record in the Western Conference playoffs to reach the Stanley Cup Final.
