Tocchet Do We Really Need Him

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While Tocchet does frustrate me a bit sometimes, I think the fact that we're even in a fight for a playoff spot at this position can largely be attributed to the coaching staff.

If you'd told us all before the season "hey, Thatcher Demko is going to remain crippled. Oh, and JT Miller is going to implode and be dealt away. And Pettersson is going to continue his struggles to regain his form. And Quinn Hughes is going to be hurt for long stretches of time. And our defense is going to be a dumpster fire for the first half of the season," I think most of us would have expected a bottom of the league style finish.

So I give him his credit where it's due. And I'm also not a fan of "change for the sake of change" unless it becomes abundantly evident that a coach has lost the room, which I don't think Tocchet has.

But I hope we see a bit of flexibility and adaptability in Tocchet's strategies into next season and onward.
Perfectly said MrC
 
There's no 'salary cap' when it comes to hiring NHL coaches. You can almost guarantee that Philly will open the vault to bring Tocchet back home to the Flyers.

The Canucks, on the other hand, aren't the 'go-to' destination for 'name' head coaches, because over the years they've been far too cheap. And I suspect there's no way Canucks ownership would match a Flyers mega-deal for Tocchet.

He's as good as gone imo.

Yep agreed. An almost perfect situation falls into his lap. Philly being an old team of Tocc's, and now run by his legit friends in Briere and Jones.

Winning a cup (for a coach) is not a necessary a concern for any coach. It's more about job stability and it's more than likely they'll offer a 3+ year contract.
 
Yep agreed. An almost perfect situation falls into his lap. Philly being an old team of Tocc's, and now run by his legit friends in Briere and Jones.

Winning a cup (for a coach) is not a necessary a concern for any coach. It's more about job stability and it's more than likely they'll offer a 3+ year contract.

I doubt Tocchet cares at all about job stability, because he is guaranteed to have it wherever he decides to coach.

Basically everyone in the media talks about how highly regarded he is amongst hockey people, not to mention the guy who is considered the best coach of the last decade handpicking him to be his assistant for the 4 Nations and that likely continues for the Olympics.

Besides, he doesn't need the money and has his old job in media waiting for him whenever he wants it.
 
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I doubt Tocchet cares at all about job stability, because he is guaranteed to have it wherever he decides to coach.
No way Tocchet doesn't care about job stability and I say this because "job stability" or "job security" is part and parcel with the job (and who doesn't like job stability?). I mean unless you're filling in as coach for a Stanley Cup favourite where you know going in the job is to win the Cup next season, you want to know that management and ownership believes in you and you will have time to install your system etc. It also helps to do your job as the players know you can outlast their time on the team. Like everyone, Tocchet should know that there are only so many NHL head coaching jobs available. The wait between getting another head coaching job can be lengthy and at 60 years of age Tocchet doesn't have the time. Take Claude Julien for example. Former Stanley Cup winner who was fired with a winning record at the time of firing. Hasn't gotten another NHL head coaching job. Gallant has been out of a job for a couple of seasons but I suppose GMs don't like him that much.

The Flyers' coaching job, for example, is not a one year job. That's a 3-4 year job at least. Tocchet going in and coaching that team for 1-2 seasons and then get fired will wreck his NHL coaching career. Same with Tocchet. Like you said, he still has NHL head coaching opportunities available. If the Canucks don't offer him some sort of job stability that tells him that management believes in him then why would Tocchet sign here? And let's not forget the assistants that are tied to him. Extensions for the assistants will follow an extension for Tocchet.
 
So given Allvin's interview, it looks like the plan is to bring Tocchet back. Adding to my previous post, one thing about Tocchet going to the Flyers is that he's going to get at least 4 year deal (possibly 5). That's quite a bit of commitment compared to a 2 year extension the Canucks could have given Tocchet after last season. Will we give him a 4 year extension? If we make the playoffs and go on a run then no question that would be an easier deal to justify. But if we miss the playoffs that's quite an unusual commitment?

If the choice is between the Canucks and Flyers it will be interesting to see what Tocchet picks. Tocchet obviously has a history with the Flyers but I think that aside from being a teammate of Keith Jones for a brief time, there's no apparent relationship there. Plus the Flyers would be similar to his Coyotes teams where there's some veteran and young talent but are still some ways from contention. Like I said, it's likely a 3-4 year job at least. Meanwhile, what direction does he think the Canucks are heading? We're not rebuilding that's for sure. But does he think the Canucks will have the horses to contend? There are other motivations of course. Job is unfinished, he's familiar with management, and I think Foote does prefer the west coast.
 
When it comes to coaching hires, I'm not entirely sure the ball is entirely in Allvin's court. I think this is one area where the Aquilini's assert some authority. And they hate paying coaches big money.

For sure the Flyers are going to make a substantial offer. And it will probably be up to ownership whether they want to match it, or move on.
 
This Tocchet to Philly talk reminds me of the Hughes to NJ talk...........it makes for good copy but i don't see either of these things happening.
Oh I disagree.

Tocchet leaving for Phillys disastrous situation makes no sense to me.

Quinn Hughes leaving our low ceiling team to compete for a cup with his two brothers makes perfect sense.
 
I doubt Tocchet cares at all about job stability, because he is guaranteed to have it wherever he decides to coach.

Basically everyone in the media talks about how highly regarded he is amongst hockey people, not to mention the guy who is considered the best coach of the last decade handpicking him to be his assistant for the 4 Nations and that likely continues for the Olympics.

Besides, he doesn't need the money and has his old job in media waiting for him whenever he wants it.
The bolded part is really not how the world works.
 
Oh I disagree.

Tocchet leaving for Phillys disastrous situation makes no sense to me.
Not that I necessarily think he would choose the Flyers over the Canucks if we offered him the same contract, but I think Tocchet returning to Philly makes sense. The Flyers are a team he played for, the Flyers might offer more term, and I think his son lives in Pittsburgh. I think being close to his son would be a big deal but at the same time this is Tocchet’s coaching career.
 
The only way he doesn't come back next season is if Vancouver opts out and they've already said they see him as their coach and want him here long term.

If Vancouver uses their team option he can't just quit and go to another team. He could quit and go back to TNT but that's not really Tocchet, now is it? Even if they don't get a long term deal done, I could see them using the team option for the mean time to try to get a deal done or explore other options.
 
The only way he doesn't come back next season is if Vancouver opts out and they've already said they see him as their coach and want him here long term.

If Vancouver uses their team option he can't just quit and go to another team. He could quit and go back to TNT but that's not really Tocchet, now is it? Even if they don't get a long term deal done, I could see them using the team option for the mean time to try to get a deal done or explore other options.
If Tocchet wants to go to Philadelphia, I can't see the Canucks standing in his way. So 'team options' when it comes to coaches, is really pretty meaningless.

The Flyers have cleared the decks for Tocchet, and will definitely offer more money and term than the Canucks. The only issue is whether Tocchet is totally committed to this market, and if he is willing to walk away from a better contract.
 

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