Insider: Canucks Make Big Decision on Rick Tocchet

The drama surrounding the Vancouver Canucks has been ongoing all season, but even now that their 2024-25 campaign is over, failing to make the playoffs, it will continue for a while, until a decision on—and by—head coach Rick Tocchet has been finalized. His guaranteed contract is done, while the team holds an option on one more year.

We're hearing from insider Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, that Canucks management—at least for their part—has made a big decision on their head coach:

I think the Vancouver Canucks have committed that Rick Tocchet will be the highest paid coach in franchise history. I do believe that's going to happen—if he stays.

The previously highest-paid coach for the Canucks was Travis Green, who came in at just under $3 million annually during his five-year run that ended in 2022. Friedman reports that they have decided to "go well past that" to try to keep Tocchet.

At the same time, while that's now the goal of Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, the insider says that he's getting mixed signals on what Tocchet's plans are. He's heard everything from he'll stay to see this thing out, to holding out for a bit to see what else is out there, to "he's tired of the market, and it's been enough" for him.

The other interesting note that Friedman dropped was the fact that Tocchet went for dinner with captain Quinn Hughes just before the season ended, likely to discuss all this. We know that Hughes is a big fan of the coach and wants him to stay.

The Canucks do have one other piece of drama that will drag on as well, as goal-scoring forward Brock Boeser, a nine-year veteran of the team, is a pending unrestricted free agent as of July 1st. Boeser recently indicated that he feels his days in Vancouver are done, due to the stagnation of contract talks.

Vancouver finished at 38-30-14 this season for 90 points, and 5th place in the Pacific Division. That's a drop of 19 points from their 1st-place finish last year.