$24,750,000 Canucks winger makes his feelings known about ex-HC Rick Tocchet’s departure 

It’s beginning to sink in that Rick Tocchet is no longer the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

The veteran bench boss announced on Tuesday that he would not be extending his contract to remain in Vancouver, instead stepping away from the team.

Tocchet was beloved by many in the Canucks organization, including winger Conor Garland, who began his career under Tocchet’s lead as a member of the Arizona Coyotes in 2018-19.

Garland appeared on the NHL Network on Wednesday and was asked to give his thoughts on the departure of his former coach. NHL Network shared the video of his response on X (formerly Twitter).

“I was very fortunate to have him. I was a young player; I really didn’t understand the details of the game and what it took to win. And, you know, I was more just relying on scoring and producing points. He taught me the other side of the game and really filled out the rest of my game. And I’ll be forever grateful for that,” Garland said.

“And as I’ve gotten older and had a family and a kid. It’s weird to say he’s a coach to me; I kind of look at him as like another father figure and kind of a friend to me. When stuff happened in my personal life, he’s one of the people you can lean on. Any team that gets him is gonna be very lucky,” Garland added.

Conor Garland will be heading into the final season of his five-year, $24,750,000 contract signed with the Canucks in 2021.

Rick Tocchet will have plenty of suitors on the open market

It won’t take Rick Tocchet very long to find a new home, assuming he wants to continue coaching in the NHL.

The 61-year-old should have a robust market, and according to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, one team that could be a leading candidate is the Philadelphia Flyers. Daily Faceoff shared the clip on X.

“They’re one of the teams that would certainly be very interested in bringing a guy who’s in their Hall of Fame back to the organization,” Seravalli said.

Some other teams that could make sense are the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins. Rumors have suggested that Rick Tocchet could prefer heading back to the East Coast, which puts these three teams squarely in the mix, along with Philadelphia.

It will be an interesting situation to watch unfold, as we’ve seen drastic changes to the coaching landscape around the league in just the last week.