As the Canucks season comes to an end, all eyeballs turn towards head coach Rick Tocchet and his future plans.
Is he coming back? Is he headed to Philadelphia? If so, what can the Canucks do to stop him?
Nothing.
Vancouver management “exercising their option” is a non-story. It’s irrelevant. If he stays, it’s because he wants to stay and he’s signing a sweet new deal. If he clearly doesn’t want to stay, the Canucks won’t be holding him hostage. Besides not making any sense, it would bring even more bad publicity to an already toxic market environment.
There have been back-channel rumours that the head coach is headed east. Hearsay, as usual, means nothing until an announcement is made.
The good news for Vancouver fans; Tocchet’s recent language.
Feel free to read between the lines optimistically if one chooses.
“(Quinn) Hughes had the puck most of overtime, that helps,” Tocchet said in reference to the Vancouver’s win on Monday over San Jose in OT. “Maybe that’s the strategy next year, just give him the puck and we all watch him.”
That’s encouraging.
When discussing Aatu Raty’s hustle getting to the bench after winning a draw in overtime, and after speaking about the player’s positive development, ‘Tock’ finished with …
“That to me is gold. That’s the attitude I want, when you get young guys doing that, that’s big, that’s leadership.”
‘That’s the attitude I want?’ From your Vancouver Canucks, coach?
Fans will learn the answer sooner than later.
