"He did a great job for us, together with his coaching staff," Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen told the newspaper. "We have some great young talent, and I think he can bring our team to the next level. So hopefully we get it done."

Tortorella, 58, led the Blue Jackets to a 50-24-8 record this season, the best in their history. The Blue Jackets qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time since joining the NHL in 2000, and the 108 points were a team record. They also had a 16-game winning streak, one shy of the League record of 17 set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tortorella has one year remaining on a three-year contract he signed on Oct. 21, 2015, when he took over as coach after Todd Richards was fired.

Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 2004, when he led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Stanley Cup. He is a finalist for the award this season for the fourth time.

Tortorella is 530-432-94 with 37 ties in 16 seasons with the Blue Jackets, Lightning, New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. He's 22nd on the NHL's all-time list for coaching wins, and is the winningest United States-born coach in League history.