Should Vancouver Canucks be worried about losing Tocchet to Philadelphia Flyers?
The Vancouver Canucks contract negotiations with head coach Rick Tocchet just got a lot more interesting.
With no deal in place beyond this season, another potential landing spot has opened up for Tocchet. The Philadelphia Flyers moved on from John Tortorella today, creating a job opening which could be of interest to Tocchet.
Tocchet spent 11 years with the Flyers as a player, playing 621 games and recording 508 points. He has a strong connection with Philadelphia, and his coaching style, which emphasizes discipline and structure, seems to fit the Flyers’ aim.
Upon news of Tortorella’s firing, the hockey world jumped to make the connection between Tocchet and the Flyers. Several reporters were quick to mention the Canucks coach as a potential candidate for next season.
Good morning, Rick Tocchet https://t.co/hU0RjxIDhb
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) March 27, 2025
The Flyers are not a playoff team, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll be competitive anytime soon. While the Canucks have struggled this year, the group has shown they have the potential to be contenders, and that’s something that should be attractive to Tocchet.
Tocchet is in the last year of his contract, although the Canucks have a club option for next season. However, exercising that option and having Tocchet coach another season without an extension in place is not an ideal situation for either side.
There have reportedly not been any intense contract discussions yet, as Tocchet wants to wait until after this season has finished. He says his whole attention and focus is devoted to helping the Canucks make the playoffs, but the longer he goes unsigned, the more opportunities open up.
Tocchet is well-regarded around the league. He has done an impressive job with the Canucks defensively, inheriting a run-and-gun team and turning them into one of the best defensive teams in the league.
The 60-year-old won the Jack Adams Award last season and was an assistant on Canada’s staff for the recent 4 Nations Face-Off, where they won the tournament. If he hits the open market, he will have plenty of teams interested beyond just the Flyers.
Critics of Tocchet will point to the Canucks’ struggles in generating offence at five-on-five. The team ranks last in five-on-five shots this season and has gone through stretches where they’ve struggled to find goals. They also rank in the bottom 10 for both five-on-five goals and expected goals.
Despite some of those struggles, Canucks management has never publically wavered in their support of the head coach. General manager Patrik Allvin has always said he envisions Tocchet as the future leader of this group.
This has been a tough season for Tocchet and the Canucks. They’ve fought through several challenges, including locker room drama and multiple injuries to star players. The Canucks will need to convince the bench boss that the worst of the adversity is behind them and sell the coach on their vision for the future.