9 coaches Vancouver Canucks could hire to replace Tocchet next year
The search for a new Vancouver Canucks head coach is on.
Rick Tocchet’s decision to not return next season means the Canucks are looking for their fourth head coach in four years. It’s not an enviable spot to be in but it’s where the Canucks find themselves.
The good news is that there are lots of solid coaching candidates on the market. The Canucks will need to choose what type of coach they’re looking for to narrow down the talent pool.
Here are nine names to keep an eye on as the Canucks embark on their search.
1. Manny Malhotra
- Most recent job: Abbotsford Canucks (AHL) head coach
- NHL head coaching record: 0-0-0
Canucks fans will be very familiar with Malhotra. He played on the famous 2011 team and spent time behind the bench as an assistant before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs organization as an assistant.
This year, Malhotra has taken his first professional head coaching gig in Abbotsford and has done a spectacular job. The baby Canucks are in the second round of the AHL Playoffs and have been a strong development pipeline for the NHL team.
Jim Rutherford said Manny Malhotra will be on the “short list” of potential Tocchet replacements yesterday. With no NHL head coaching experience and already being in the organization, he’d also likely be cheaper than many of the options on this list, potentially making him more attractive to management.
2. Peter Laviolette
- Most recent job: New York Rangers head coach (fired in 2025)
- NHL head coaching record: 846-562-25-161
Peter Laviolette is a veteran NHL head coach with nearly 1600 games under his belt. He helped lead the New York Rangers to the Presidents’ Trophy in the 2023-24 season before everything unraveled this past year in a similar decline to the Canucks.
Rutherford and Laviolette have worked together in the past, winning a Stanley Cup together with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006.
“We had some success together, I like him as a person and a coach,” said Rutherford about Laviolette yesterday.
Laviolette has the NHL experience to navigate the choppy waters in Vancouver and has a previous relationship with management. He checks a lot of boxes.
3. Derek Lalonde
- Most recent job: Detroit Red Wings head coach (fired in 2024)
- NHL head coaching record: 89-86-23
Derek Lalonde has just three seasons of NHL head coaching experience, but was an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the early 2020s and helped lead them to back-to-back Stanley Cups.
Lalonde nearly led the Red Wings to a playoff appearance in his second season, but they just missed out. He’s been appearing on television during the current playoffs, putting himself back into the public eye.
While there are concerns about his 89-86-23 record with the Red Wings, the roster he was working with was less than ideal.
4. Jay Woodcroft
- Most recent job: Edmonton Oilers head coach (fired in 2023)
- NHL head coaching record: 79-41-13
Jay Woodcroft has the second-best points percentage of any Edmonton Oilers coach ever, behind only the current boss, Kris Knoblauch. He led the Oilers for parts of three seasons and helped get them to one Western Conference Final.
He has experience coaching in a Canadian market. Woodcroft also has an AHL Championship on his resume as he led the Bakersfield Condors to the title in the 2020-21.
He’s just 48 years old and will surely get another chance behind an NHL bench. Will it be in Vancouver?
5. Mike Vellucci
- Most recent job: Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach
- NHL head coaching record: 0-0-0
The Canucks have brought in a ton of people from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, and Mike Vellucci could be another. He has been an assistant for the Penguins since 2020 and has an established relationship with Rutherford and Patrik Allvin.
“I had a few people text me last night and this morning about Mike Vellucci,” said Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman today on the FAN Hockey Show. “I would assume he’s going to get interviewed.”
Vellucci is serving as an assistant for Team USA at the upcoming World Championship. He makes a lot of sense if Rutherford and Allvin want someone they’re comfortable with who is up-and-coming.
6. Alain Vigneault
- Most recent job: Philadelphia Flyers head coach (fired in 2021)
- NHL head coaching record: 722-489-35-117
Canucks fans will have mostly good memories of Alain Vigneault behind the teams bench. The Quebec native was the Canucks head coach during the most successful time in franchise history, helping them with two Presidents’ Trophies and go to the Stanley Cup Final.
His 313 wins with the team are the most by any coach in Canucks history.
Vigneault hasn’t coached since 2021 and announced his retirement in 2023. It would likely require a really special situation to bring him back and it’s unlikely the Canucks fit that bill right now with their ongoing drama.
7. Daniel and Henrik Sedin
- Most recent job: Canucks assistant coaches
- NHL head coaching record: 0-0-0
Daniel and Henrik Sedin are franchise legends who have been gaining more coaching experience since retiring from their playing days. The two have been working hard with both the AHL and NHL side of the Canucks organization as assistant and skill development coaches.
The two do everything together so maybe the Canucks would need to name them joint co-coaches to make the move happen.
The Sedins are incredible with the media, well-respected by their peers, and some of the smartest individuals to work in the organization.
8. Jon Cooper
- Most recent job: Tampa Bay Lightning head coach
- NHL head coaching record: 572-306-83
Jon Cooper is one of the most respected coaches in the hockey world. He’s been behind the Tampa Bay Lightning bench since 2013 and has won two Stanley Cups in that time. He’s also led Canada in international tournaments, including victory at this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
However, the Lightning are on the verge of losing in the first round for the third consecutive season. If they do, Cooper’s job could be in danger as the Lightning look to shake things up.
If he breaks free of his current job, the Canucks could try and get a homecoming with the Prince George, British Columbia native. That geographical connection could help them land one of the best in the business.
9. Gerard Gallant
- Most recent job: New York Rangers head coach (fired in 2023)
- NHL head coaching record: 369-262-4-70
Gerard Gallant is another experienced NHL coach. He’s spent more than 700 games as the head coach for various organizations and took the Vegas Golden Knights to the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.
Gallant has never lasted more than three seasons with a team, but he also boasts a career points percentage of .576. He could bring a veteran presence to guide this group, which has been through so much in the last 12 months.