Rick Tocchet in line for important contract extension

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Cooper Godin
June 21, 2024 (7:35 PM)

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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has done a terrific job since joining the team in January 2023 as a replacement for Bruce Boudreau.

The players instantly bought into Tocchet's system when he joined and they finished the 2022-23 season with a 20-12-4 record in 36 games under their new coach.

In 2023-24, many expected Vancouver to be in the mix for only a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but the Canucks took their game to the next level and finished the regular season as the Pacific Division champions.

A huge reason for their success was Rick Tocchet and in an interview with Sportsnet, Jim Rutherford asked if there's a contract extension on the horizon for their head coach. Rutherford said that Tocchet is under team control for the next two years, which includes an option for the 2025-26 season, but added that they'll likely look into an extension for him towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

"He's under team control for two more years (including a club option for 2025-26). I don't know, we've got so many other things going on. We want him to continue doing the job that he's done. Obviously, Patrik and I have a long history with Rick. That (next contract) is not going to be a concern when we get around to doing it. But I would suspect sometime at the end of next season, we'll be looking at it." Rutherford said.

In 82 regular season games, Tocchet led the Canucks to one of their best years in franchise record. The Canucks finished with a 50-23-9 record, which landed them first place in the Pacific Division. However in the playoffs, some injuries (Demko & Boeser - Game 7 Round 2) caught up to them and the Canucks were eliminated in seven games in the second round at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers.

For his efforts during the 2023-24 season, Rick Tocchet was named this year's recipient of the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the National Hockey League and Canucks fans are excited to see what he has up his sleeve next campaign.

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