Assistant coach John Torchetti won’t return to Red Wings
Detroit – The Detroit Red Wings will not bring back assistant coach John Torchetti next season.
Torchetti, 53, oversaw the power play and forwards. His two-year contract expired after the season.
The power play ranked 24th in the NHL (17.5 percent), a mild improvement over the 2016-17 season (27th, 15.1 percent).
The Red Wings finished 28th overall in goals (2.59 per game) this past season.
Torchetti came to Detroit after three times serving as interim head coach in the NHL – in Florida, Los Angeles and Minnesota, taking the Wild into the playoffs in that interim role at the end of the 2015-16 season.
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Torchetti also was an assistant with Tampa Bay, Atlanta and Chicago.
Torchetti has been a head coach in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League and in the minor leagues (AHL, CHL).
There is no timetable to hire Torchetti’s replacement, and join a staff that currently has Doug Houda, Pat Ferschweiler and Jeff Salajko.
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