VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks are set to hire their fourth head coach in under four years. Despite this frequent turnover, Rick Tocchet was only the 21st coach in the team`s history since joining the NHL in 1970.
Notably, it appears Rick Tocchet is the first coach in franchise history to depart willingly, despite strong desire from team management for him to remain.
This fact alone should prompt the organization to reflect.
The season has been challenging for the Canucks, marked by significant injuries, internal drama, and inconsistent performance. Issues like the reported friction between J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, the difficulty of trading Miller, and injuries to key players including Thatcher Demko, Brock Boeser, Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, and Pettersson himself, all contributed to the struggles.
However, Tuesday`s surprising news that Tocchet, who held the second-highest winning percentage among the team`s 21 coaches over 55 years, declined the offer of a long-term extension, adds another layer of difficulty.
