Now that the Vancouver Canucks have confirmed the news that head coach Rick Tocchet will not be returning next season, there are a handful of burning questions that surround this organization:

Like any breakup, there is a mourning period when your head coach decides to move on from the organization. However, the Canucks have plenty of high-profile options on the coaching market, so there is no time to wait in finding the next bench boss.

To list a few coaching options that were fired this offseason are: Mike Sullivan, Peter Laviolette, John Tortorella, Dan Bylsma, Greg Cronin, Derek Lalonde and Luke Richardson.

There are a few other intriguing options: Joel Quenneville, Gerard Gallant, Bruce Boudreau, Jay Woodcroft, Dave Hakstol, one NCAA coach who has become a hot commodity, David Carle and the first-year Abbotsford Canucks coach, Manny Malhotra.

There are of course multiple other options out there, but we’ll just run through these options for the purpose of finding the next Canucks coach.

First, we must determine what type of coach the Canucks are going to be targeting. Given the current team’s mindset of “do everything you can to keep Quinn Hughes,” they should target an experienced coach with proven success who can keep this team competitive, rather than running the risk of an up-and-coming option.

This eliminates Cronin, Lalonde, Richardson, Woodcroft, Hakstol, Carle and Malhotra.

It’s safe to eliminate Tortorella and Boudreau from the list as former Canucks head coaches.

This leaves Sullivan, Laviolette, Bylsma, Quenneville and Gallant as options that fit the criteria of experienced coaches.

It has been reported that the New York Rangers will take a heavy run at Sullivan, who Rutherford confirmed yesterday that he wants to stay out on the East Coast. However, he does have multiple ties to the Canucks organization as a former assistant coach under Tortorella, as well as with Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford. Qunneville has been rumoured to be a serious candidate for the Anaheim Ducks job.

So these two options may be off the table. That leaves Laviolette, Bylsma, and Gallant.

Laviolette is known for his ability to turn teams around quickly. Through his six head coaching gigs, Laviolette has made the playoffs with his new team in the first year in five of those stops. However, he is criticized for losing his voice in the locker room after a short period, resulting in him spending more than four years in just one of his destinations. He could be an intriguing option if the Canucks want to win now, but want to eventually promote Malhotra. Additionally, Laviolette has ties to Rutherford, as they spent time together and won a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2005-2006.

Gallant is another coach who has bounced around the league. However, he does have a proven track record of regular-season success, but like Laviolette, he lacks a long-lasting tenure. Gallant spent time with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and New York Rangers. He has made the playoffs in his last five full seasons as a coach, but hasn’t spent longer than two seasons in any single location. Gallant could be another option to help groom Malhotra before an NHL head coaching job.

Bylsma may not be the best option, especially for the Canucks front office. When Rutherford was brought in to Pittsburgh in 2014, Bylsma was the head coach and was subsequently let go by Rutherford. If Rutherford did not want him back then, it would be surprising to see him circle back on him now in Vancouver.

We’ll keep this one short and sweet. Typically, when a coach moves on or gets fired, their staff will follow. And if they don’t follow, the next head coach will likely want to bring in their own trusted staff to help lead the team. So, unfortunately, it appears Svejkovsky, Foote, and Gonchar will all be departing.

Rutherford shared the same thoughts in his media availability, saying, “I would say the organization respects the other guys [Svejkovsky, Foote and Gonchar], and they will be guys that we will want to keep. But at the same time, if you bring a new coach in, he may want to bring one or two of his own guys.”

Svejkovsky was brought in just last year after assistant coach Mike Yeo left. Tocchet indicated in his end-of-season media availability that it was difficult dealing with a part-time coach. So, even if Tocchet stayed, it seemed likely that they would be replacing Gonchar. And Rick Dhaliwal reported on Tuesday that Foote’s contract has expired, and he has been given permission to talk with other teams.

The Canucks next head coach will likely be bringing in a whole new staff to Vancouver.

To many hockey observers, this doesn’t seem like a big deal. But to the players and coaches, both on the team and free agents thinking about coming to Vancouver, this matters.

The Canucks are one of two teams around the NHL that do not have a practice facility. And once the Calgary Flames’ new arena is completed for the 2027-2028 season, Vancouver will be the only team in the NHL without a practice facility.

In a recent article by Patrick Johnston of PostMedia, he mentioned that there has been talk about the Canucks building or acquiring a practice facility for 15 years. Yet, there’s still nothing in the works. And it’s starting to cost them, for example, with Rick Tocchet reportedly being frustrated by the Canucks’ lack of a practice facility.

Now, there were other factors, but this being a reason just exemplifies how ridiculous this is.

And to be fair to the Canucks, they have at least tried. According to Kevin Woodley, deals have been on the table to acquire a facility, but they fell through due to the high price tag.

But now that a coach, who was offered a contract extension that would make him one of the top-paid coaches in the entire NHL, has walked away and listed one of these as a reason, should be the kick in the behind for the organization to get serious about a practice facility.

Who else could they lose out on because of this?

There was already a bunch of salary cap gymnastics Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford were going to have to do to fix the Canucks forward group. But the Canucks brought in players that would fit Tocchet’s system. So, now that he’s gone, what do they do?

Well, the plan shouldn’t change. The Canucks are still very well off on the blueline after acquiring Marcus Pettersson and the emergence of Elias Pettersson. Some could say they have too many if they decide to bring back Derek Forbort or if Victor Mancini takes the next step.

Same goes for their goaltending. Kevin Lankinen had a breakout season, while Thatcher Demko was declared fully healthy after the season and will have a full offseason to train – something that was robbed of him last season.

There was a lot of turnover this season, but the Canucks are just one season removed from a Division title. Now, there’s a ton of work to do to get back to that level, but if they can address their second-line centre void, it’s not out of the question to say this team could return to the playoffs next season.

But the biggest caveat will be this next coach. Who do you bring in? Do they mesh well with the current roster, and will the players thrive in the new coaches’ systems? Tocchet’s system was defence first, which limited some of the offensive players from flourishing.

This isn’t a question we can currently answer. It will all depend on the next coach who comes in and whether they can rebuild the locker room to give everyone a chance at a fresh start heading into next season, to determine the true direction of this team.

We saved the best for last.

This is tough news for Hughes and his future in Vancouver.

Hughes went to bat for Tocchet, claiming he was the best coach he has ever had, and wanted him to stay. Both sides shared that they had a strong relationship and would meet regularly to discuss on- and off-ice matters.

The Canucks Captain’s current contract is expires after the 2026-2027 season and he is due for a massive raise. While Hughes has yet to publicly express this, Rutherford shared that Hughes has the desire to play with his brothers, Jack and Luke, who currently play together in New Jersey.

Before this move, these next two seasons were so critical for the Canucks to bounce back to contending status to be able to retain Hughes because, at the end of the day, that was the belief. Like every NHL player, Hughes wants to win. The organization would need to sell winning in Vancouver for him to re-sign. They still have the opportunity to do so, but with his favourite coach now moving on, there is just another reason for Hughes to follow in Tocchet’s footsteps.

Now, Tocchet’s decision could have been influenced by Hughes already telling him that he has plans on leaving in two years.

It’s easy to jump to conclusions, but the Canucks still have Hughes for two seasons. And while this is an obstacle that hurts the chances, there is still hope that the team can turn their fortunes around and Hughes signs to be a forever Canuck.

But it all starts with building a contending team. Best be getting to work, Jim and Patrik.

What do you think, Canucks fans? What are your answers to these questions? And is there another burning question you’re left with after Tocchet’s departure? Let us know in the comments below!