VANCOUVER — It was an announcement Jim Rutherford never wanted to make. Vancouver’s president of hockey operations stepped up to the podium at Rogers Arena on Tuesday afternoon and delivered the news already circulating throughout the city: Rick Tocchet wouldn’t be returning as Canucks head coach.
Rutherford got a call from Tocchet’s agent on Tuesday morning informing him of the decision. Shortly after, Tocchet personally called Rutherford and explained the decision in further detail. It came as a surprise because, as Rutherford explained, the conversations he had with Tocchet over the last few weeks were forward-looking and gave the impression he would be back next season. Rutherford explained that Tocchet was talking about his plans for checking in on players in the summer (including a trip to Sweden to visit Elias Pettersson), what he wanted to do differently during next fall’s training camp and other topics that suggested he was still bought in on the idea of returning to coach the Canucks.
It was only recently that Rutherford started feeling uneasy about Tocchet’s future.
“It did get to a point probably a week ago where I started thinking, ‘Well, we keep talking about what’s gonna go on, but we don’t have the commitment yet,’” said Rutherford. “And at that point, I started thinking, ‘He’s not quite sure.’
“I wasn’t sure why because (of) how positive everything was going, but then when he talked to me today, I’m not gonna get into that, that’s really his business, but with him and I being friends for as long as we have, we talked about some of the things he’s dealing with and he just said ‘For personal reasons, I will have a very tough time doing the job I need to do.’”
Rutherford wasn’t able to go into too much detail on why exactly Tocchet felt the need to move on, but he shared insight on what comes next. Here’s what he learned.
1. Don’t expect this to be an extended coaching search that drags on. Rutherford noted that they would be careful not to rush but that there are strong incentives for them to identify their next coach sooner rather than later. The biggest reason for that is that the organization wants its head coach to be involved in offseason roster planning.
“It’s important for the coach to get input on the players he wants, not for the general manager to just make trades and say, ‘Here’s your guys, you make the adjustments,’” said Rutherford.
With seven other head coaching vacancies in the NHL — Anaheim, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Seattle and the New York Rangers — many teams have already begun their searches. The Canucks are a bit behind now relative to those other teams. They can’t afford to drag their feet because some candidates may get poached quickly while others will be fielding multiple offers. The last thing Vancouver would want is to take a long time deliberating on an ideal target, only for that coach to get scooped up by another club first.
“We’ll start to do a shortlist,” said Rutherford. “I would expect our phones will ring on a regular basis for people that want this job. We’ll narrow it down fairly quick and start the process from there.”
2. Mike Sullivan would have probably been the dream hire for Rutherford and the Canucks. Sullivan’s illustrious track record speaks for itself, and the two have a close relationship. However, that option is already off the table.
“I know my good friend Mike Sullivan does not want to leave the East,” said Rutherford. “He’s a good family man.”
3. Manny Malhotra has already become a popular name among Canucks fans as a potential head coaching replacement. He’s done excellent work in Abbotsford, both developing some of the younger players who were called up and impressed down the stretch in the NHL and garnering team success despite his roster being short-handed at times due to Vancouver’s injury woes. Rutherford confirmed that Malhotra will be on the club’s shortlist of candidates, based not only on his work in Abbotsford but on the seven years of experience he has in the NHL as an assistant coach.
Malhotra doesn’t have NHL head coaching experience, though, and this season was his first as a head coach at any pro level. Some teams are wary of hiring less experienced names. Rutherford was asked how much previous NHL head coaching experience matters for the Canucks’ next hire. He said that he needs time to fully ponder the experience angle but sounded open-minded around the possibility of a first-time NHL head coach, which Malhotra would be.
“I will say that there are coaches presently in the league that were not head coaches in the NHL (previously) that are doing a good job with some teams,” said Rutherford. My quick thought for part of your question is (that the coaching hire doesn’t) necessarily have to have NHL (head coaching) experience … it’s not just coaching in the NHL; what experience do people have as leaders on teams when they played, for example.”
It’s fascinating that Rutherford will weigh the experience potential head coaching candidates had as leaders when they were players. That certainly works in Malhotra’s favour — he was a critical leader when he played for the Canucks, and there are others in the organization who can vouch for that.
4. What will the Canucks be looking for with their next head coach?
Rutherford hit on a few topics. He noted that he wants the Canucks to have a reliable defensive structure to fall back on when they aren’t performing at their best. That defensive structure is what he felt they lacked under Bruce Boudreau and what he credited Tocchet with implementing.
Based on that commentary, don’t expect the Canucks to chase a head coach who will encourage a freewheeling offensive style. Defence-first will likely still be the top priority. A structured, low-event playing style may not be the most exciting or aesthetically pleasing product for fans, but it’s probably the sensible call given the Canucks’ current personnel. Vancouver’s blue line and goaltending tandem should be a strength, while the forward group lacks elite offensive drivers. It behooves the club to stick to a structured style that’s similar to what Tocchet implemented.
On a couple of different occasions in the news conference, Rutherford suggested that the next coach will also need to understand how to deal with and maximize Pettersson’s potential.
“It’s about getting the top players — and when I say that, I don’t refer to Quinn (Hughes), he’s a phenomenal player, we don’t worry about him — but getting the top players to perform the way they have to,” said Rutherford. “You have to have your impact players win games for you, not just be one of the guys. That’s part of the job of the coach and that’s something that the new coach is going to have to figure out.”
5. Keeping Quinn Hughes beyond the two years left on his current contract looms over every key change that affects the Canucks. It’s no secret that Hughes wanted Tocchet back.
“I hope he’s playing golf because he usually returns my call right away,” Rutherford said. “I called him within half an hour after I talked to Rick. He hasn’t called me back yet. Knowing how he feels about the coach and that he’s a sensitive guy, I would suspect that he feels like I do, that we’re disappointed. But knowing the maturity of Quinn, he will make the adjustments necessary.”
Management needs to ensure that Hughes is pleased with the next head coaching hire. You can bet that they’ll likely get his input on Malhotra, too. Malhotra was an assistant under Travis Green during Hughes’ rookie season in 2019-20. Therefore, Hughes will have at least some firsthand experience with Malhotra and will be able to share his thoughts on the latter’s potential suitability for the head coaching gig.
6. Last week, Tom Willander spoke to Cam Robinson of EliteProspects. In that interview, he clarified that he had never asked the Canucks to burn the first year of his entry-level deal this season or for guaranteed NHL minutes. He simply wanted certain Schedule A bonuses included, which is what The Athletic reported a couple of weeks ago.
On Tuesday, Rutherford provided some additional commentary on why the club is digging its heels in on these bonuses.
“In short, we have (an ELC) structure for our draft picks,” said Rutherford. “And this isn’t just about Tom Willander, this contract, it’s about what goes forward, who are the guys we drafted after them, how do they slot in, how (much) do you pay them. You can’t be all over the map and be helter-skelter when you’re doing these contracts.”
It’s unusual for a club to be this stubborn around ELC bonuses with a top prospect, but the Canucks seem to believe that Willander will eventually cave. They’ve repeatedly pointed out that turning pro next season would make him a lot of money compared to returning to college. It would also help him accrue a full year of NHL service immediately, which would help him eventually reach unrestricted free agency sooner, something players usually care about.
“What I laid out (the money and accruing NHL service time), it just wouldn’t make any sense for a player to make that decision (to not sign an ELC),” said Rutherford. “Émilie (Castonguay) still continues to work on a regular basis on the contract and we hope to get it done sooner or later.”
It seems risky for the Canucks to hardball their top prospect over a mostly insignificant amount of money. Why complicate the situation and/or risk starting a relationship with such a high-profile prospect on a sour note?
(Photo: Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press via AP)