NHL News

The Canucks Are Imploding: Is Tocchet on the Hot Seat?

The Vancouver Canucks seem to be imploding, and it’s a leadership issue. Could Rick Tocchet’s job be on the line?

by
Old Prof
January 24, 2025

If you are a Vancouver Canucks fan, you’ve got to be down in the dumps today. The team suffered an embarrassing loss against the Edmonton Oilers last night, and it seemed that few players showed up. Captain Quinn Hughes can’t do it alone, and the pressure is mounting. Can the team pull their season out of the spin it seems to be in?

After the game last night, Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet took responsibility for his team’s struggles, acknowledging that it’s on him to get the players motivated and to step up.

Rick Tocchet Admits: This Canucks Problem Is His Problem

In his own words, Rick Tocchet said:

“It’s on myself to correct this. We can’t give people freebies. You can’t take penalties like this — it makes no sense right now, it really doesn’t. There’s a lot of games left, but we need some guys to step up. We need people who are willing to have some fun. I know guys aren’t having fun right now because we’re losing, but you have to take responsibility. Every individual needs to bring something, and right now, we’re not getting enough of that. It’s my job to get these guys to bring it.”

Despite Tocchet’s admission, the question remains: Why aren’t the Canucks responding? The team seems to be imploding. There’s tension, especially with the trade rumors swirling around J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, and it’s starting to show on the ice. The team looks flat and has been embarrassed multiple times. Perhaps most concerning, no one seems to be stepping up. Their goalies, specifically Thatcher Demko, are often left hung out to dry.

Vancouver Canucks wish list — Patrik Allvin is the Vancouver Canucks GM.

Where’s the Canucks Leadership?

This is supposed to be an organization with outstanding leadership, so why can’t they figure this out? It isn’t as if Jim Rutherford, Patrik Allvin, and the reigning Jack Adams winner, Rick Tocchet, aren’t intelligent. Yet, seeing such a talented team struggling is more than a bit confusing.

Can these experienced hockey leaders turn things around? It boils down to a leadership dilemma that’s becoming impossible to ignore. Who won’t survive the crash if the team doesn’t pull the plane from the tailspin? Specifically, is Tocchet’s job on the line less than a year after winning the award as the top head coach in the NHL? Baffling, right?