Pascal Vincent to leave the Rocket (according to Marco Normandin)

In his tweet, Marco Normandin makes links with the Lightning and the Islanders.

We know that Jon Cooper is very fond of Pascal Vincent… and we know that Tampa Bay GM Julien BriseBois is a Québécois like the head coach of the Laval Rocket.

And as for the Isles, we also know that Patrick Roy could pick the Rocket to complete his group of assistants, as we discussed earlier today on DLC.

It makes sense on that level too.

In all of this, you have to wonder if it’s going to have any effect on the Rocket’s post-season. The club trails the Checkers 0-3… and Game 4 of the series is tonight in Charlotte.

But it’s also worth remembering that there was some risk of Vincent leaving after a year (or quickly) because the Canadiens still hired a top-quality coach for their club-school. Pascal Vincent has already been a head coach in the NHL, after all, and we know he has a good reputation in the NHL.

And having seen him lead his club to 1st place overall in the AHL regular season is no mean feat either. It’s been tougher lately in the playoffs because he’s had to juggle tougher decisions with his goalies, but he’s proven himself in the end.

Extending

We also knew that his goal was to return to the National League.

That’s how it is for every coach and player in the AHL, after all: the guys want to get to the highest level possible.

And if Pascal Vincent has the opportunity to return to the NHL – even as an assistant – he’ll seize it like anyone else would.