The NHL coaching carousel got a whole lot more interesting on Tuesday when it was announced by the Vancouver Canucks that head coach Rick Tocchet decided not to return to his position for the 2025-26 season.
“I'm choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks,” Tocchet said in a statement. “Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time. While I don't know where I'm headed, or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey."
Rick Tocchet's Agent Speaks On Why The Canucks Former Head Coach Decided To Leave Vancouver Tuesday was a shocking day for the Vancouver Canucks organization as head coach Rick Tocchet decided to depart the club and look for a different opportunity. While the Canucks did have an option on Tocchet's contract for next year, they elected not to use it. In the end, Tocchet spent two and a half seasons with the organization, guiding them to Game 7 of the second round last year, while also winning the 2024 Jack Adams Award.
Tocchet's departure from the Canucks came just one day after it was announced that the Pittsburgh Penguins and coach Mike Sullivan had mutually agreed to part ways. With Vancouver and Pittsburgh now both in the market for new coaches, they are two of eight current teams in need of a voice behind the bench.
It was reported by TSN's Pierre LeBrun Tuesday that five teams had already checked in on Sullivan. Even if the former Penguins' coach is the frontrunner for most teams, Tocchet will still be in high demand.
And this begs the question: Would Tocchet be a fit for the Penguins?
The 61-year-old coach has a long history with Pittsburgh. He won a Stanley Cup with the franchise in 1992 and was behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Penguins' back-to-back championship runs in 2016 and 2017.
He also has a great relationship with Sidney Crosby and many of the Penguins' veterans, and he is notoriously good with young players - which is something that POHO and GM Kyle Dubas will certainly be looking for in any new hire.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean he is the man for the job.
Yes, Tocchet is well-known as a great coach and - like Sullivan - is highly respected in coaching circles around the league. He has seen head coaching stints with the Arizona Coyotes and the Canucks, and he won the Jack Adams Award in 2024 after leading Vancouver to a Pacific Division title.
There have been some ups and downs, but his body of work at the NHL level has been mostly positive. That much is clear.
But Dubas and the Penguins - in the midst of a rebuild - are putting their primary focus on player development. They appear to want a coach who has gone through stages of development and has a proven track record of success at developmental levels.
“We'll have deep questions as we go through the process on what their experience has been developmentally,” Dubas said. "Sully had that. Sully was in player development with [the Chicago Blackhawks], he coached in the American League, an [NHL] assistant coach...that's something I think, especially now in the salary cap era, you have to be developing your own guys."
'I Started To Think That It May Just Be Time': Takeaways From Kyle Dubas's Press Conference Regarding Departure Of Mike SullivanOn Monday, Pittsburgh Penguins’ president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas shook the hockey world when he announced that head coach Mike Sullivan would not be returning to coach the Penguins in 2025-26.
He added: "It'd be tough for me personally to go with somebody that has no record or real passion for development. Those are becoming fewer and fewer in that brethren of coaching right now, so it will be a vital component, for sure."
This can be read into a number of different ways, but it seems more likely that Dubas is going to target someone along the lines of a Spencer Carbery or a Jim Hiller - now head coaches of the Washington Capitals and Los Angeles Kings, respectively - who possesses a great track record at the AHL level or collegiate and junior levels and, perhaps, does not have a ton of NHL experience.
In other words, some like a Todd Nelson - head coach of the AHL's Hershey Bears - or David Carle - head coach of the University of Denver - are more likely candidates.
If Tocchet comes knocking at the door, Dubas and the Penguins will surely answer. But whether or not they open the door - and whether or not Tocchet would be even be open to the undertaking in Pittsburgh - is a different story.
8 Possible Replacements For Mike Sullivan As Penguins Head CoachWith the shocking news that the Pittsburgh Penguins and longtime coach Mike Sullivan have mutually agreed to part ways, it comes as no surprise that one of the first talking points is who will be the one replace him.
Bookmark THN - Pittsburgh Penguins on your Google News tab to follow the latest Penguins news, roster moves, player features, and more!