Rick Tocchet officially decides his future with the Vancouver Canucks
Photo credit: USA Today Sports
According to new reports from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Rick Tocchet has decided to not return to the Vancouver Canucks as head coach.
The Canucks organization took a massive step back this season as they were embroiled in locker room drama between star players, and now losing a quality coach.
Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet steps aside
The last successful iteration of the Vancouver Canucks has completely fallen apart after just one year of making the playoffs
It's hard to imagine that Tocchet didn't consider the locker room drama surrounding the team and Vancouver media this season as a reason for his departure. JT Miller ended up being traded, making their team significantly worse, due to a very public feud with Elias Pettersson.
Additionally, Jim Rutherford has brought into question the future of Quinn Hughes within the organization.
If they lose Hughes that Canucks will be back in rebuilding territory, and the Canucks brass keeps putting their foot in their mouth.
Tocchet will likely find another opportunity as Canucks are left floundering
Tocchet himself is still a highly regarded coach around the league for his quick work of taking Vancouver to the playoffs last year, and his tough attitude as a former player.
As the end of the season nears, many teams will engage in the annual coach firing ritual. Tocchet should have no trouble finding a new job next season.
The Canucks looked to be on an entirely different trajectory just last season. After taking the Oilers to Game 7 of the second round, it's astonishing to see how fare they've fallen, and how much worse things could get quickly.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 29 | 683 ANSWERS Rick Tocchet officially decides his future with the Vancouver Canucks Do you think Tocchet will be coaching again in the NHL next season? | ||
| Yes | 482 | 70.6 % |
| No | 201 | 29.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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