Will Canucks coach Tocchet be back in Vancouver next season?
Brock Boeser isn’t the only pending free agent the Vancouver Canucks need to make a decision on.
Head coach Rick Tocchet’s contract also expires after this season, but the organization does have a one-year club option that they can exercise for next year. With the Canucks at a crossroads with several core players possibly moving on, there is also a question mark behind the bench.
Tocchet has a 96-55-24 record since taking over and won the Jack Adams Award last year as the league’s top coach. He was also an assistant coach on Canada’s recent 4 Nations Face-Off team, which won the tournament, and his coaching talent is well-regarded around the league.
“He’s a guy I think 20 to 25 teams would fire their coach to get their hands on,” said Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli on Canucks Central yesterday.
All of this means there are tons of reasons for the Canucks to exercise that club option for next year. The club’s management appears to have come to the same conclusion.
“I’m very proud of how Rick has handled the season here under the circumstances,” said GM Patrik Allvin in January. “My relationship with him and how we communicate every day, trying to find solutions to make our team better, pushing the right buttons, I do believe he is a good coach, and I see him [here] long-term too.”
However, some complications could arise. The Canucks have faced a mountain of adversity this season. The J.T. Miller-Elias Pettersson drama clouded everything for months and resulted in one of their best players being traded. Most of their stars have been injured at one point or another. Through it all, Tocchet has been the guiding force, and they’re still in the playoff race.
But with this Canucks core seemingly about to enter a transitionary period — a period that has arguably already started with the Miller trade — will Tocchet want to stick around? He always has the option of returning to a cushy television job which he held before joining the Canucks.
There’s no doubt this has been a frustrating season for the entire organization, but perhaps for Tocchet most above all. He continually repeats the same message after each disappointing loss.
Some of that frustration is starting to become clear with more frank postgame comments. While an NHL head coaching gig is a very desirable job, there’s a chance that this team isn’t heading in the direction Tocchet wants, and the two sides haven’t talked much per reports about his future yet, although those discussions should be coming soon.
“I get the sense the Canucks are going to have at least a discussion with Tocchet here at some point, especially before the season ends, and I think that could be very telling about where this goes,” added Sportsnet’s Satiar Shah.
“To my knowledge, I don’t think there has been much of that right now,” continued Seravalli.
In addition, while he’s experienced a lot of success over his Canucks tenure this far, there are legitimate gripes to be had with Tocchet. A concerning trend has emerged where the team often struggles mightily to generate shots and scoring chances at five-on-five.
During last spring’s playoffs, the Canucks generated just 20.28 shots per 60 five-on-five minutes, the worst number of any playoff team. This year, they’re generating 24.63 shots per 60 five-on-five minutes, just 0.22 shots above the last-place Chicago Blackhawks.
While a red-hot shooting percentage helped cover those struggles last year, they’ve been prominently featured this season. The Canucks rank last in goals-per-game since January 1 and need to find more offence.
Tocchet said he’d open up the system after last year’s playoff run, but the results haven’t been there on ice. Unlocking more offence while keeping the basics of their strong defensive structure is the next step for Tocchet’s team.
While there are fair concerns over parts of Tocchet’s system, the overall job he’s done speaks for itself. Taking the team to the second round last season and helping navigate the rough waters this season were difficult tasks. It’s easy to see why Canucks management seems set on having him back. The only question is if he wants to return after such a turbulent year.