While the Vancouver Canucks are still battling for their playoff lives, the looming cloud of the future of a certain member of the coaching staff is hovering over the team.
On Monday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman brought up Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet and his future with the organization after what has been a tumultuous season.
Friedman believes the Canucks have already offered Tocchet a new deal, though he didn’t give any specifics.
“Obviously, that offer didn’t get it done,” Friedman said. “I don’t know how soon he’s going to want to talk about it, but eventually, it’s going to get to a point where they all have to decide when do they want to sit down and talk about this. I think this is just a bigger conversation than just Tocchet, [instead of just] ‘Does Tocchet want to stay?'”
Friedman mentioned the fact that the Canucks do have the option to pick up Tocchet’s contract for the 2025-26 season, but states that neither side would want to go through another year if they aren’t going to be on the same page about the future of the team.
After an exciting 2023-24 season, where the team was one win away from the Western Conference Final, debilitating injuries, off-ice drama and bumpy play has led to the Canucks struggling to stay in the playoff picture this season.
Regardless of how things end up, Friedman believes that if Vancouver wants to keep Tocchet at his post, it’s going to cost them a pretty penny.
“It comes down to – do you get a new deal, or not?” Friedman said. “Some of that is going to be term and finances. If they want to extend Tocchet, it’s going to go into a bigger number than they’ve paid a coach in quite some time.”
Tocchet has previously been asked about his contract situation but confirmed that he doesn’t have plans to talk about any negotiations during the season. Friedman states that, while the odds might be stacked against the Canucks of getting back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Tocchet seems to be sticking by his guns in the final weeks of the regular season.
“I just don’t know when they’re going to sit down and discuss it, because even though the math is not good, I’m not sure that [Tocchet’s] going to want to do it while they’re still a chance. I guess that’s what an agent’s for?”
The Canucks (34-27-13) are fourth in the Pacific Divison, six points back of the St. Louis Blues for the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
