Canucks Officially Hire Rick Tocchet To Become Next Head Coach
No more flirting. The Canucks got their man. After firing Bruce Boudreau, Vancouver has announced that Rick Tocchet will become their next head coach. No more flirting. It’s officially official now.
This news was first reported by Jeff Marek of Sportsnet on the 32 Thoughts show.
Tocchet, 58, has a career coaching record of of 178-200-60. Tocchet will now coach his third NHL team after prior jobs with Arizona and Tampa Bay. Turning around the Canucks will be no easy task. Vancouver currently sports a record of 18-24-3.
Tocchet is also walking into a situation where a Bo Horvat trade is inevitable as well as a fire sale to follow after. Forget about Tocchet, can anyone manage to turn the Canucks into a winner given all of the dysfunction? Bruce Boudreau may have deserved better. One current rival player even thinks so.
By the way, Boudreau is currently coaching the Canucks on the bench right now as they’re losing to Edmonton. Boudreau is somehow not the coach but also behind the bench. That’s the Canucks in a nutshell right there.
Rumors have floated that Sergei Gonchar and Richard Matvichuk could be part of the group that follows Tocchet to Vancouver. It remains to be seen when and if that will happen.
The most important event for the Canucks may be the upcoming NHL Draft lottery. Landing Connor Bedard may be the only realistic pathway to turning this franchise around. The tank job for Bedard is right around the corner.
