A wrinkle has risen in the negotiations between the Vancouver Canucks and their bench boss.

On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Canucks and Rick Tocchet met on Friday. However, no decision was made as of Sunday night.

Canucks president Jim Rutherford told the media last week that the team wasn’t going to pick up the option on Tocchet’s contract. Instead, the team is looking to sign him to a new deal to keep him in town.

According to Friedman, one of Tocchet’s concerns about staying with the organization is the lack of a practice facility. Vancouver is the only team in the NHL without its own practice rink.

“I would understand that,” Friedman said. “I think if you’re the one team that doesn’t have one and the nights where your main rink is not available, and you kind of have to go into a public rink. It’s a little bit different. I could see why that would drive a coach crazy.”

Friedman noted that it isn’t cheap to buy up land in the greater Vancouver area.

“If you follow real estate…in Vancouver, it’s not inexpensive. That is clearly, even though Rutherford had some pretty hilarious comments about what he would do to try to get it done, it’s obvious that it’s a bit of a thing.”

Rutherford mentioned last week that, while discussions about a practice facility have been ongoing for decades, it could still be some time before a deal is finalized.

“I assure you, we’re going to get this done,” Rutherford, 76, said. “Maybe long after I’m here, maybe long after I’m even on this earth, but it’ll get done.”

The Stanley Cup-winning executive pointed out what the team is looking for, in terms of construction, for its own facility. Rutherford mentioned that the team had talks with a few facilities already but to no avail.

“We need 20,000 square feet that we can build on, with a dressing room (added) to a rink somewhere, and then just use the ice. … For different reasons, it didn’t work out.”

During training camp prior to the 2024-25 season, Tocchet spoke glowingly about the team being able to use two sheets of ice at The South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, something that a few teams around the league have access to.

All of this conversation comes as the PWHL recently announced its expansion to Vancouver, with the new franchise set to start play next season. Part of the deal with PNE, which includes the team playing at the renovated Pacific Coliseum, is that the Agrodome will undergo substantial upgrades, providing the new team with its own practice facility. This, while the Canucks are going to be without their own training rink for the foreseeable future.

The Canucks finished fifth in the Pacific Division this past season, missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years.