What It Means For Vancouver Canucks' Rick Tocchet After Recent Head Coach Firing
While there is currently an trade freeze in the NHL for the holidays, there is evidently no such thing for head coaches, as the Detroit Red Wings announced the firing of Derek Lalonde on Thursday.
The change behind the bench means that Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet becomes the tenth longest tenured head coach currently in the NHL, despite not even being a full two years into the job.
Tocchet joining the top 10 tenured list after being hired on January 22, 2023 shows just how unstable and volatile the head coaching position can be, with Detroit being the fourth team this season to already make a change behind the bench.
The Canucks' bench boss knows himself just how unstable the position can be now in his third head coaching job, with his first in Tampa Bay lasting not even two full seasons.
The Red Wings are adding a veteran who is no stranger to being fired and re-hired, with Todd McLellan formerly of the Oilers, Kings and Sharks taking over behind the bench.
Rick Tocchet's job hardly safe
While a Jack Adams trophy in his first full year with the team could buy Tocchet some goodwill and benefit of the doubt, even a coach as successful as he's been is rarely on stable ground.
With the team facing a rough patch earlier this month, some went as far as to question whether firing Tocchet could be on the table.
For now the reigning coach of the year will try to rack up wins and continue to move up the longest tenured list.
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