Rick Tocchet Will Not Return To Vancouver Next Season, So Where Could He Go Next?

I know the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going on and that's where all of our attention should be, but I've got to say, the coaching musical chairs happening this offseason are some of the wildest in years.

We've got several teams like the Bruins and Rangers, who, just one year removed from being serious Cup contenders, look to be on the verge of blowing up the farm after cutting bait with their head coaches.

Meanwhile, a couple of teams that are fighting to become contenders once again are also looking for new bench bosses.

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The Vancouver Canucks are in the former camp following a lackluster campaign in a year that was supposed to be a massive step forward.

Now, Rick Tocchet has revealed that he is moving on from the team.

"I'm choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks," Tocchet said in a statement per Sportsnet. "Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time. While I don't know where I'm headed or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey."

This is the right call after the Canucks elected not to pick up the option on Tocchet's deal, because we should all expect things to get worse in Vancouver before they get better. But what could be next for Tocchet? Does he return to his job at TNT where he was until he took the Canucks job in early 2023, or does he continue coaching.

I think the latter because there are a couple of interesting options out there for him.

Where will NHL coach Rick Tocchet wind up next? (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

Philly? Pittsburgh? Elsewhere? Nowhere?

Even before Tocchet made his exit official in Vancouver, there was a lot of talk of him taking the job with the Philadelphia Flyers. He not only played for the team alongside President of Hockey Ops Keith Jones, he's also the right kind of coach for the Flyers right now with a track record of developing young players.

I thought for sure if he coaches next season it would be in Philly… until this week when another job opened up on the other end of the Keystone State.

Tocchet was previously an assistant in Pittsburgh and is familiar with the team's aging core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, and won a pair of Stanley Cups with them. I think he would be a solid option for them too, but since he was in the Steel City, the front office has gotten an overhaul.

I still think Philly makes the most sense, but Pittsburgh may not be a bad move either. It's also hard to write off the allure of coaching an Original Six team in New York or Boston, and that's if Tocchet doesn't go back to broadcasting.

Plenty of options for him, so let's wait and see how it pans out.