4 potential Canucks coach replacements if Tocchet leaves the team

Life moves fast, especially if you’re a head coach in the National Hockey League.

Rick Tocchet looked like he would be a long-term solution for the Vancouver Canucks after winning the Jack Adams Trophy in 2023-24. Not even 12 months later, speculation is growing that he may decide to leave the Canucks.

“We don’t feel it’s right to have somebody here that may have his mind somewhere else,” Jim Rutherford told reporters on Monday, in reference to not holding Tocchet to the option year in his contract.

Rutherford also said he expects Rick Tocchet to make his decision about signing an extension with the Canucks this week.

With coaching vacancies in Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, New York (Rangers), Philadelphia, and Seattle, Tocchet likely has options. But so does Canucks management.

If Tocchet doesn’t return, who could the Canucks hire to replace him?

Potential Tocchet Replacements

1. Manny Malhotra

It’s impossible to ignore what Manny Malhotra has done with the Abbotsford Canucks this season. Despite the fact that injuries to the Canucks gutted Abbotsford’s roster, he still led the team to their best season in franchise history.

It’s easy to see Malhotra being on a Travis Green-like path, and eventually ascending as an NHL head coach. However, Green was an AHL head coach for four seasons prior to his promotion. This is Malhotra’s first season as an AHL bench boss.

2. David Carle

There’s arguably no better coaching prospect outside of the NHL than David Carle.

The 35-year-old has been with the University of Denver for 15 years after a heart condition crushed his NHL dreams as a teenager. He took over from current St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery back in 2018 and has gone on to win multiple championships and regular-season crowns.

Teams like the Chicago Blackhawks are already chasing him, although it sounds like he’s waiting for the right opportunity.

“If it were to leave (Denver for the NHL), we need… a really special opportunity,” Carle said on ESPN’s The Point. “The right team, city, GM, opportunity to win, a vision to win… and I’m not out there searching for it.”

Does that sound like Vancouver? That’s debatable. At least Vancouver is the closest NHL city to Carle’s hometown of Anchorage, Alaska.

Other NCAA coaching candidates: Adam Nightingale, Pat Ferschweiler, Jay Pandalfo

3. Todd Nelson

Will Todd Nelson ever get a chance to run an NHL bench again? His only head coaching stint came when he replaced Dallas Eakins midseason for the Edmonton Oilers back in 2014-15. Since then, he’s won three Calder Cups in the AHL with two different franchises.

Other AHL coaching candidates: Karl Taylor, Marco Sturm, Ryan Mougenel, Aaron Scheenkloth

4. Gerard Gallant

Why does Gerard Gallant keep getting fired? You could argue that the 61-year-old hasn’t received enough love for the accomplishments in his NHL career.

He took a Florida Panthers team to the playoffs when their leading scorers were a 43-year-old Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen. Gallant then led the expansion Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final. During his last head coaching stop with the New York Rangers, he amassed 99 regular season wins in just two seasons.

Gallant did express in 2024 that he’d be open to being an assistant coach. If the Canucks did go with someone like Malhotra as head coach, having an experienced assistant like Gallant could make some sense.

Other out-of-work coaches with NHL experience: Alain Vigneault, Claude Julien, Derek Lalonde, Peter Laviolette, Jay Woodcroft, Dan Bylsma

Where Tocchet could end up

Would any of the six coaching vacancies be more attractive to Tocchet than the job he already has?

There’s no doubt that the Canucks forward group is a mess, and their success really hinges on Elias Pettersson’s future. However, Tocchet and Adam Foote have helped the Canucks defend well, and the blue line on paper is a nice mix of top-end talent, veteran depth and youth. You can envision a world where with better health luck, the Canucks are at least in the playoff conversation next season.

The tie to the Philadelphia Flyers is obvious. Tocchet is beloved in the city and played there for 11 seasons. Still, that’s a team in rebuild mode, and one which also lacks a deep prospect pool.

The New York Rangers might be the only team that matched the Canucks level of drama and dysfunction this season. However, Tocchet did mention his praise for J.T. Miller in his end-of-season presser. They’re also a team that could be dangerous if they figure out how to defend.

Tocchet, as a player, would have fit well in Boston. As a coach, he’d be running a team with the same issues as the Canucks. Good defence and goaltending with a lack of talent on offence.

For situations in Chicago, Anaheim, or Seattle, are any of them really that much better than his opportunity in Vancouver?

The Canucks clearly want Tocchet back, as Rutherford said Monday that “we’re hoping that he takes that contract and stays.”

But the longer this drags on, the longer it appears as though Tocchet might be coaching elsewhere in 2025-26.

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