Vancouver Canucks expected to make decision on Tocchet soon: report
The Vancouver Canucks have a decision to make behind the bench.
Head coach Rick Tocchet may have been the NHL’s coach of the year last season, but a tumultuous 2024-25 season has thrown his future with the team into doubt. The 61-year-old coach is seeing his contract with the Canucks come to an end this summer.
Vancouver does hold a team option to keep him around for another season, but it’s unclear whether or not they will use it.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, a decision on Tocchet’s immediate future on the West Coast is expected to be made sooner rather than later.
“Tocchet’s full contract is up, there is a team option for next year. Vancouver indicated that they would hold him to the team options… That said, it sounds like Vancouver has cooled down on that one a little bit,” Friedman reported.
“The one thing I do believe is nobody, not Tocchet, not the Canucks, want this to drag into the end of the season, after the end of the season, too long into the summer. I think you’re gonna see how this is going to work out come down pretty quickly at the end of the season.”
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If the Canucks want to sign Tocchet to a long-term extension, they will most likely have to make him an offer that is higher than the $2.75 million salary that he makes on his current deal. Not only did the veteran coach lead the team to an unexpected division title last season, but he also won the Jack Adams Award.
While the results weren’t as good this year, Canucks players seem to enjoy having him on the bench. Captain Quinn Hughes recently told reporters that he is hoping to see Tocchet behind the bench next season.
“He’s an amazing coach,” Hughes said to Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.”But whatever he does, it’s his decision. Obviously, I’d like to have him back. And I think he knows that.”
Tocchet himself has not commented a whole ton on his future with the Canucks and has opted to keep negotiations private. What we do know is that Vancouver has already had one contract offer rejected by the head coach.
“It’s private, you know me, I’m trying to be as honest as possible,” Tocchet told reporters earlier this month. “The direction, all that stuff, that’s for another conversation with [Canucks President] Jim [Rutherford] and [Canucks GM] Patrik [Allvin].”
Vancouver only has two more games left on their schedule before the season ends on Wednesday. If this new report is correct, we should be hearing more about Tocchet’s future shortly after that.
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