Insider Shuts Down Canucks, Flyers Head Coach Connection

According to one insider, it's too soon to connect the Vancouver Canucks head coach to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Jan 25, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet looks on from the bench against the Washington Capitals in the second period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images / Bob Frid-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Flyers made a shocking move with nine games remaining in the 2024-25 regular season and fired head coach John Tortorella. With a 28-36-9 record through 73 games, the Flyers didn’t like recent comments made by Tortorella and promptly fired him before getting the chance to coach another game.

 With Tortorella out of Philadelphia, discussions have already started regarding who the next head coach of the Flyers could be. Early connections pinned Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet as the top candidate for the Flyers.

Tocchet is at the end of his contract with the Canucks and played 621 games with the Flyers in parts of 11 seasons during his playing career. The connection between franchise and player is there, but one insider is suggesting people pump the breaks on Tocchet to the Flyers.

“I can understand it,” Chris Johnston said on TSN’s Insider Trading. “A former Flyer and all that stuff, but I do think that kind of talk is premature.”

Johnston went on to mention that both Tocchet and the Canucks are hopeful their working relationship continue past a turbulent 2024-25 season.

“There is still a process to play out between Tocchet and the Canucks,” Johnston said. “The coach is focus, first of all, is trying to make the playoffs… beyond that fact, Tocchet does have a team option for next season.”

The Canucks have made it clear before that they would like to keep Tocchet around. He’s had a successful tenure in Vancouver and both sides have the same goal of aiming for a Stanley Cup.

Things could change between the Canucks and Toccet before it’s time to sign a new deal, but for now, he doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. If Tocchet does feel like the grass could be greener with a different team, the Flyers would be a perfect fit.

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