Media speculation links Tocchet to Flyers with club option left on Canucks contract
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After the Philadelphia Flyers fired John Tortorella on Thursday, media speculation quickly linked Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet to his former team.
Tocchet is in the final year of his current contract in Vancouver, with the team owning a club option for next season. The 60-year-old won the Jack Adams Award last season after the Canucks finished atop the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record.
TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun relayed Wednesday that Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has stated his desire to sign the head coach long-term, but Tocchet has put off contract talks until after the season.
“What I really like is his ability to communicate with people,” Allvin said of Tocchet in an interview with LeBrun in The Athletic last week. “The hours he puts in there, to having individual meetings with players, I think that’s paying off.
“And part of it was I felt we needed that accountability and credibility with guys who have done it, like Tocchet, Footer (Adam Foote) and (Sergei) Gonchar, they all won Cups.”
Tocchet spent 11 seasons with the Flyers over two stints during his playing career. He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 after an in-season trade with the Flyers and found his way back to the organization during the 1999-2000 season.
Given his contract status and history, with the Flyers, speculation has quickly tied to the two sides together again.
"Could Philly pull Rick Tocchet out of Vancouver?" Andy Strickland of FanDuel Sports Network asked on X.
"Good morning, Rick Tocchet," ESPN Senior NHL Writer Greg Wyshynski wrote in response in Flyers announcement on firing Tortorella.
"I have zero doubt that Rick Tocchet is atop the Flyers wish list," Penguins writer Josh Yohe of The Athletic wrote on X. "Would be in the best interest of Penguins fans if GMJR (Canucks president Jim Rutherford) were to keep him in Vancouver for a while longer.
Prior to Tortorella being let go, Ben Kuzma published a story in the Vancouver Province explaining that Tocchet would gain contract leverage if Tortorella was let go in Philadelphia.
It's been a challenging season in Vancouver, with star netminder Thatcher Demko missing significant time due to injury and a rift between stars Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller taking centre stage before Miller was traded to the New York Rangers in January.
"I'm proud of how Rick has handled the season here," Allvin said two weeks before the Miller trade. "I do believe that he is a good coach and I see him [in Vancouver] long term.
"It's a two-way street there. Up to this point it hasn't been an urgency for us to do anything with a club option."