TRAINING CAMP NOTES: Assistants' role switch gives Jackets fresh look

If there's one thing John Tortorella closely monitors as head coach of the Blue Jackets, it's expiration dates.
The second he feels a forward line or player has gone "stale," you can be sure changes are being considered. He mixes and matches, like most NHL coaches, until something fresh produces different results.
His coaching staff isn't exempt, either, as a switch on the bench is being monitored. Tortorella is trying something new with his assistant coaches' in-game responsibilities.
Brad Larsen will now run the defensive pairings and matchups, while Shaw will assist Tortorella with forwards, man the iPad and communicate directly with players in an instructional capacity.
"A lot of things came into play with me there," said Tortorella, who informed each assistant of the switch in the summer. "I think you can get stale with the same voice. I liken [it to] myself, where I've kind of released a lot of practice minutes to those guys, because I don't want my voice to get stale."

Rather than a criticism, Tortorella said the change is just a new way to bring a fresh approach. It's also a chance for Larsen and Shaw to gain new experiences coaching in the NHL.
"I think it gets stale," Tortorella said. "I'm not sure if I'm locked into it. I wouldn't make a change like this if it hurts the team. I want to see what it looks like."
Another factor, according to Tortorella, is getting a fresh perspective on one specific area of the ice.
"I think the neutral zone is a very important zone that I think we need to get better at, and I want to get [Shaw's] voice involved in that," Tortorella said. "That's what [Larsen] was doing a lot. Guys would come off the ice, I'm changing the lines and everything, and I'll correct [guys], but I'm getting another line ready - so you need that other assistant coach to do some teaching too. I want [Shaw's] voice more with the neutral zone and see where it goes, because I think our neutral zone has been a little bit inconsistent. I'm certainly not blaming [Larsen], but I want to try it."
It will be like a step back in time for Larsen, who will still coordinate the Jackets' power-play units. Larsen oversaw defensemen when he first started coaching as an assistant with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL), before he became head coach there.
"I'm excited to take on a new challenge," he said. "Even for coaches, it's refreshing just to attack something a little bit different. I'm really fortunate to get a group [of defensemen] back there - they're all great people, first and foremost, but we have a lot of talent back there. They're a group that's hungry to get better and hungry to learn, and that's the exciting part as a coach."
Shaw, who will still coordinate the penalty-killing groups, might need the biggest adjustment period. Along with focusing on transition plays through the neutral zone, he'll also take over Larsen's former responsibility of scanning live video feeds available via iPad and communicating with video coach Dan Singleton via a headset.
"This is new for him too," Larsen said. "He's run [defensive pairings] for a lot of years, so it will be a new challenge for him and refreshing."
Tortorella will be monitoring how it goes. If it doesn't work, he can always switch things back. If it does, the Blue Jackets will be better for it.
"I want to change the voices at both ends [of the bench], because I don't want it to get stale," he said. "I think it will be good. I think it will stimulate the players and I think it will stimulate the coaches too."

NEWS AND NOTES
Tortorella is leery of "overcoaching," and would like the Blue Jackets to minimize it.
"I'm concerned about that every day," he said. "I've got two of the brightest assistant] coaches. I've learned so much from them since I've been here, but I have to monitor how much we give to the players."
Sometimes, he said, it's best to keep things simple - even though NHL coaching staffs now have every stat, video angle and scouting report you can imagine at their fingertips.
"I was that guy before, where everything [we knew] went to [the players] … everything," Tortorella said. "And you pound your chest when the game starts: 'I'm done. It's your game now, because I gave you all information for anything that could happen in this game. If you [don't] do it, you screwed up. It's not my fault.' That's what happens."
His thinking has now flipped.
"I think when you allow players to take [ownership] of their game … not giving them too much information and allowing them to fail at certain times and learn from failing, I think you progress," Tortorella said. "I think you develop players quicker now. If you'd asked me that five years ago, I'd have said, 'Shut your mouth, not a chance.' That's where I think it's gone to."
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The media huddle with Tortorella lasted 16-plus minutes and focused primarily on the craft of coaching hockey. During the chat, he was asked about his specific role on the bench during games, particularly in communicating with players who've erred in some way.
If you see a player stapled to the Blue Jackets' bench, there's a good chance he already knows why, courtesy of the head coach.
"Oh yeah, I'll find time for that," Tortorella said, smiling. "That's not the assistant coach's responsibility, and I have two 'associate' coaches. They do so much work. I've learned so much from them, but the discipline and accountability and all that stuff, that belongs to me. I rely on the intangibles, the efforts and just watching how players are acting, because I think that's a huge part of the game. I think that needs to be my responsibility."
Considering how young the Columbus roster has skewed recently, an assumption could be made that Tortorella's had quite a few of those "teachable" moments the past couple years.
That's not entirely accurate, though.
"A young player's going to look at you and you don't have to say it twice to them," Tortorella said. "It's when you get the guys, the veteran guys, where they've kind of gone down that wrong avenue, where the entitlement comes into play … Entitlement Ave. You've got to get 'em back to Team Concept Ave. That's the battle. That's a big part of coaching, at least the way I feel about it."
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Tortorella wasn't interested in dissecting the root cause of the Jackets' 5-1 loss on home ice Sunday to the St. Louis Blues, despite having more NHL players in uniform.
A day later, he elaborated about it after a crisp practice with the NHL group of players at the Ice Haus.
"We're a sloppy team," Tortorella said. "Now, it doesn't really surprise me. [I was asked] a question [Sunday]: 'Am I concerned?' Coaches are concerned every day when the season starts. I temper it because I know where we're at. We're still in camp, guys haven't really played a lot of games. [Monday] was really our first practice with working on some team concept stuff, but I also worry about just how sloppy we were [Sunday]."
A couple hours later, the first big roster cutdown of camp was announced, reducing the number of players left in Columbus from 58 to 34 - a more manageable for instructive practices.
Another cutdown day could happen Wednesday, when the Jackets are off following the Kraft Hockeyville game against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday in Clinton, N.Y.
"I'll be honest with you, [Sunday's game] … it doesn't alarm me, but it certainly [got] my attention to where, 'Let's get to our team and let's get working with our team,'" Tortorella said. "We have some time, but we always say that [and] next thing you know, it's here."
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Two decisions the Blue Jackets will have to make is whether to keep eight defensemen, and if so, whom the 13th forward will be.
One of the unforeseen hurdles involves injured defenseman Ryan Murray, who is out for "a little time," with a soft-tissue groin injury.
[READ MORE: Jackets being careful with Murray
It's unclear whether Murray will be on the active roster to start the season or be placed on injured reserve. Either way, there could be room for a defenseman who might've gotten cut otherwise to now make the NHL roster.
Otherwise, Tortorella said the biggest battles in the remainder of camp will be about the NHL depth chart - including a looming decision about whether to keep star defensemen Zach Werenski and Seth Jones together on the top defense pairing.