The Rick Tocchet era in Vancouver is over.
The Vancouver Canucks announced on Monday that Tocchet and the team had decided to part ways after two-and-a-half seasons.
The club was hoping to get a contract extension done at the conclusion of the season but despite prolonged negotiations and even discussions about what needed to be done in the off-season to improve the hockey club, Tocchet decided to end his time in Vancouver.
It was a move that caught Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford off-guard.
“It was a little bit surprising. We had a lot of talks over the last four to six weeks. We had general talks like we normally would have at the end of each year and he was talking about what he’s going to do with the players in the summer time, what he wanted to do different in camp and what he wanted to do with the team next year. For the most part, the talks were all about the future and it appeared to me that he would return,” said Rutherford during Tuesday’s press conference at Rogers Arena.
As time wore on, Rutherford began to worry.
“It did get to a point about a week ago where I started thinking that we keep talking about what’s going to go on but we don’t have the commitment yet. At that point, I started thinking that he’s not sure. I didn’t know why because of how positive everything was going but he talked to me today about some of the things he’s dealing with and he said for personal reasons, he’d have a very tough time doing the job he needed to do,” explained Rutherford, who didn’t elaborate on details.
The benchmark for a future contract was believed to be the deal that Craig Berube signed to be head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. That was a four-year deal worth $4.5 million per season and was negotiated by agent Steve Mountain – who also represents Tocchet.
The Canucks initial contract proposal was believed to be in the $3.5 million range with not much term, but as talks progressed, that number and term continued to climb to where the offer on the table would have paid Tocchet in the upper echelon of coaches.
In the end, it wasn’t enough with Rutherford stating ‘personal reasons’ as being a reason for Tocchet’s departure.
“He felt he needed a change and part of that was that he wanted to move back to the Eastern part of the United States and be closer to his family. Obviously, we were very disappointed,” said Rutherford.
That was the company line but there were other factors that played roles in Tocchet’s decision-making process.
One of those was a lack of a practice facility. Rutherford downplayed that during his media session but it clearly was an issue for Tocchet, who emphasizes building team culture and saw a practice facility as key element to that.
Then there is the situation regarding star defenseman Quinn Hughes and his future. Hughes is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2026-27 season and according to what Rutherford said during this year’s media availability session, he wants to play with his brothers Jack and Luke, who are employed by the New Jersey Devils.
Hughes’ long-term future in Vancouver – or possibly lack thereof - was probably something that also factored into Tocchet’s decision. If Hughes departs, the Canucks would probably be forced into rebuild and would Tocchet want to be part of that?
And then there’s the enigma known as Elias Pettersson. With a massive eight-year, $92.8 million dollar contract, the Canucks are committed to Pettersson. The big question is whether or not Pettersson is ready to return in kind by elevating his commitment level to the game.
Where it leaves the Canucks is that the organization is now searching for its 22nd head coach in the franchise’s history.
Rutherford said the team will begin to look at a short-list of candidates and intends to narrow that list down quickly.
Many are speculating that Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra will be a leading candidate but this agent believes his inexperience as a head coach could be a detriment.
The Canucks didn’t have a particularly strong leadership group and it is something the team would like to improve upon for the upcoming season. So does that mean the Canucks will be looking for a veteran head coach?
“That’s a great question. I don’t know if I could give you my full answer on that because I haven’t thought that far ahead. I will say that there are coaches presently in the league that are not head coaches in the NHL but are doing a good job with some teams,” answered Rutherford.
"My quick thought is not necessarily having to have NHL (head coaching) experience but you have a good point with someone to help with the leadership which I will have to put more thought into. It’s also not just about coaching in the NHL but what experience do people have as leaders of their teams when they played? Were they captains? But it is a great point that I will have to think about a lot."
One positive that will come out of this is that by interviewing coaching candidates, Rutherford will have an opportunity to learn what others outside the Canucks organization think about his team and it will also provide him with intel on other relevant issues.
“You get a different perspective when you talk to people from the outside and how they feel about our players and how things work here but you also get a perspective on what they think is going around the league,” said Rutherford.
When it’s all said and done, the new Canucks head coach will have to check certain boxes to get the job.
“You have to have some experience. You have to have leadership qualities. You have to have a good structure and system that the players can lean to when they’re not playing well. Those will be some of the things that we are going to look for,” said Rutherford.
The problem facing the organization is that the aforementioned issues that probably came into play with Tocchet could also be a detrimental factor for viable candidates who could be choosing more attractive options.
Stay tuned for what should be an interesting off-season.
OVERTIME:
*Tocchet finishes his coaching career in Vancouver with a 200-108-65 record. Although eighth in wins, Tocchet’s .608 winning percentage only trails Alain Vigneault’s .632 among all-time Canuck coaches. As for his future, there are seven other coaching vacancies in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Rangers being the frontrunners for Tocchet’s services.
* Besides Malhotra, two other names were brought up to Rutherford as potential candidates for the Canucks job – Mike Sullivan and Peter Laviolette – each of whom previously worked for Rutherford. According to Rutherford, Sullivan wants to remain back east, so he is probably not an option while Laviolette might be a possibility. “I wouldn’t want to take him off the list at this point. He’s had a lot of success in the league,” noted Rutherford.
* Other names being tossed around for NHL coaching vacancies include Gerard Gallant, Jay Woodcroft, Dan Bylsma, David Carle and Todd Nelson.
Veteran B.C. sports personality Bob “the Moj” Marjanovich writes about the B.C. sporting scene for simplymastery. This column is brought to you by:
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