Canucks won't exercise Tocchet's option, hope he stays on new deal
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The Vancouver Canucks do not plan to exercise the team option on head coach Rick Tocchet's contract and are expecting him to make a decision on his future sometime this week.
Team president Jim Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin met with reporters Monday to discuss a wide range of topics, including the status of Tocchet, whose contract is set to expire this summer and carried a club option the team won't be using.
“We will not exercise the team option to force him to stay. We don't feel it's right to have somebody here that may have his mind somewhere else, and I'd say that about anybody. This is not just about [Tocchet]. But we believe that, and I believe that Tocc and his coaching staff did as good a job coaching this team this year as they did the year before when he was coach of the year," Rutherford said.
"As for his contract, we've gone through a process, we've negotiated. I would suspect sometime this week he'll have a decision. We have gone a long ways from where coaches have been compensated with the Canucks for years, forever actually. And we're hoping he takes that contract and stays."
Rutherford also praised Tocchet, saying he was impressed with how he guided the team amid the Elias Pettersson-J.T. Miller rift that became public earlier in the year.
"Now, he was dealt a totally different hand this year. When the team won the division, it was a lot of good work by him. A lot of good work by the players, but everything went right. This year, we've talked enough about, you know, the incident that happened and affected the chemistry of the room and affected the play of the team in the first half and forced a trade,” Rutherford said. “But with all that going on, how he handled the situation and how he handled the team was really good. So I give him and his staff kudos for the job they did this year."
Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year last season, leading the Canucks to a Pacific Division title and a 50-23-9 record. But it was a different story this season as Vancouver finished with 19 fewer points and missed the playoffs, going 38-30-14 on the season.
Tocchet joined the Canucks mid-way through the 2022-23 season after the firing of Bruce Boudreau. He has compiled a 108-65-27 record in two-and-a-half seasons.
Prior to his time in Vancouver, Tocchet coached the Arizona Coyotes for four years from 2017 to 2021 and also guided the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2008 to 2010. He owns a career NHL head coaching record of 286-265-87 in nine seasons behind the bench.
Rutherford, Allvin talk Pettersson
Rutherford and Allvin were asked about Pettersson during Monday's availability and said they both expect improvements going forward after a down season in 2024-25.
After scoring 34 goals and 89 points in 2023-24, Pettersson had just 15 goals and 45 points in 64 games this season in addition to a feud with Miller that became public and resulted in Miller being dealt to the New York Rangers on Jan. 31.
“He’s going to have to buy into being a complete player. He’s going to have to buy into working hard… He’s going to have to do that all summer and he’s going to have to buy into what the coach wants him to," Rutherford said of his star centre.
When asked if the team would consider a Pettersson trade, Allvin said he wanted to remain flexible but reiterated belief in the 26-year-old Swede.
"Sitting here today I definitely want to keep all my options open. Saying that regarding Petey, we still believe in him, but I would be I guess stupid to not keep my options open," Allvin said.
The no-trade protection in Pettersson's eight-year, $92.8 million contract kicks in on July 1.