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Rick Tocchet Breaks His Silence On Vancouver Canucks Departure

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Tom Banks | Last updated Apr 29, 2025 6:17 PM ET

After three years with the Vancouver Canucks, Rick Tocchet is officially moving on, and now he's broken his silence on the decision to leave Vancouver.

It's been a hot topic in the NHL world as of late, and on Tuesday, it was made official that for the second day in a row, an NHL Head Coach has moved on, with Rick Tocchet set to depart the Vancouver Canucks.

This comes after three solid seasons with the team, but with many vacancies out there in the Head Coaching world, many believed that he would seek greener pastures this summer.

Now, that has been confirmed, and after Elliotte Friedman broke the news, Vancouver made it official, with Tocchet explaining the decision in a press release from the Canucks.

'I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey.'

With teams like New York, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Anaheim among others all seeking a new Head Coach, there will be no shortage of opportunities for Tocchet, who has spent nine years behind an NHL bench, but has yet to taste significant Stanley Cup Playoffs success.

Despite that, many see him as one of the best coaches in the NHL, and now that he's free to negotiate with other teams to look into other opportunities in hockey, expect to see him draw significant interest in the weeks and months ahead.

What many see as intriguing with this statement is that Tocchet doesn't specify Head Coaching roles, but rather 'opportunities in and around hockey', and while it's more likely than not to be solely a Head Coach search, don't be surprised to see him draw interest in many roles as he looks to clarify his future in the league.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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