With just eight games remaining on the Vancouver Canucks’ schedule, the focus is heading toward the offseason and their plans for next season. The biggest question mark remaining is the future of Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman provided an update regarding the latest he’s hearing about the future of the Canucks’ bench boss:
“According to several sources, the Canucks are indicating that if Tocchet is coaching next season, it will be in Vancouver on his club option or with an extension.
“Their goal is to extend him, but they will exercise the option if it is necessary.”
This comes one day after Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts – The Podcast, that Tocchet recently rejected a contract extension from the Canucks. But that does align with Tocchet’s quotes from earlier in March on Sportsnet 650, where Tocchet mentioned he would prefer to wait until after the season to negotiate a contract to focus on their playoff push:
“For me, I’m an all-in guy. I’m all-in on the trying to get this team in [to the playoffs]. Trying to, you know, [build] the energy level. I think it’s better to wait for me so we can really sit down and talk because I have no time to talk about my contract, in the sense that, you know, because I’m all in with this team right now.”
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin shared in an interview with the Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun earlier in March, that he thought Tocchet has done an impressive job under the circumstances he’s had to deal with this season. He mentioned he’s well-liked in the locker room and a great communicator.
However, the team still holds a club option on his contract, and now, it looks as though they are prepared to exercise if a long-term deal is not reached between the two parties. The Canucks have just eight games remaining on the schedule. We’ll see where this goes at some point during the offseason and see if Vancouver will be searching for their fourth head coach in the previous five years.
