Each new situation seems unprecedented in this most recent Canucks’ season, and yet the strange things keep happening. The J.T. Miller situation, for example, where an alternate captain was given leave away from a team for an extended period of time. Or a star in Elias Pettersson suddenly being closer to replacement level than a top-six forward. 

Or, now, coach Rick Tocchet turning down what was reportedly an offer to pay him like one of the best coaches in the league. There are almost definitely outside reasons for Tocchet’s decision, like the fact he’s from the U.S. and wanted to be closer to his family. He of course played several years for the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins and with both having vacancies at head coach, it was probably a fait accompli that Tocchet, without a contract in place, would be too tempted to move on

It does of course cast a bit of a pall on the team’s future. It’s not often that a coach just straight up leaves a team. Especially after just two and a half seasons. And especially after being offered a top contract. 

The next coach will be tasked with bringing in a lot of the same structure and composure and respect that Tocchet had. They will also be tasked with getting the best out of Pettersson and in ultimately playing a part in convincing captain Quinn Hughes to stick around long term. 

So yeah, it’s going to be a tough gig. Here are some candidates that we think will be in the mix, separated by tiers. 

The internal options tier

Manny Maholtra

It’s no secret that Maholtra will be considered for the role. The former beloved Canuck has been coaching the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks this year after several years as an assistant with first the Vancouver Canucks and then the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

Abbotsford has played well under Maholtra—the team finished second in the western conference and is currently in a playoff series with the Coachella Valley Firebirds. 

As a player, Maholtra was a cerebral forward with patience who excelled at the little things like faceoffs. He’d probably be a great presence for most of the forwards on the team young and old, including Pettersson. 

The main issue, of course, is that Maholtra doesn’t have NHL head coaching experience. President of hockey operations Jim Rutherford did mention “experience” as one of the things he’d be looking for in a new coach. Could that mean “experience on an NHL bench”? Maybe. 

Daniel and Henrik Sedin

Co-coaches? The Sedins have, by all accounts, done a good job in their player development roles. It’s very possible they are going to be eyeing jobs behind the bench in the future. 

It’s probably too early at this exact moment for the duo to take the reins. We could see them being assistants, though.

Adam Foote

Longtime NHL defenceman Foote was one of the assistants Tocchet brought in to help him coach the Canucks. Reviews of his tenure, especially his work with the defencemen like Hughes, have been very positive. The Canucks could obviously use some stability and a friendly face for Hughes. Will he want to stick around instead of following Tocchet to his next location? It’s unclear. 

The Jim’s buddies tier

Peter Laviolette

A common answer I’ve been getting when asking Canucks fans who they’d like to see as coach is “I’m not sure, but I hope it’s not Laviolette.” Rutherford did, of course, win a Stanley Cup with Laviolette when the two were in Carolina. The latter is now a free agent after being fired by the New York Rangers. 

Could there be a reunion here? Maybe. Laviolette is a well-travelled coach at this point and it feels like Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin will realize that large swaths of the fanbase won’t see this as a positive move. That’s mostly due to a perception that Laviolette isn’t great with young players (critics cite his history with Kappo Kakko and Connor McMichael in Washington as evidence to this). Probably not the right vibe for a team that may need some young forwards to play big roles in the coming years. 

Mike Velucci

Currently an associate coach with the Penguins, Velucci has long been mentioned as a head coaching candidate. He will serve as an assistant coach for the IIHF World Championships which start Friday. Of course, given Rutherford and Allvin’s Pittsburgh connections it’s only natural he’d be mentioned. 

The Penguins released head coach Mike Sullivan recently (he was already picked up by the Rangers to replace Laviolette), so there’s a chance that the Pens will simply promote Velucci. But if they don’t, he could be a coveted candidate elsewhere. Velucci has been coaching at some level since 1994 and was the head coach of the Calder Cup-winning Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. 

The Quinn’s buddy tier

Brian Wiseman

It would probably reek of desperation, but current San Jose assistant coach Brian Wiseman did serve as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan when Hughes was there. Before San Jose, he was an assistant in Edmonton for three years. He’s also highly regarded as a powerplay mind. 

Now, we have no idea whether or not Hughes and Wiseman even had a good relationship. But again, one of management’s top priorities for any moves they make in the next couple of months will be the happiness of Hughes. So he’s worth watching as a dark horse candidate.

The respected veteran coach tier

Derek Lalonde

Lalonde was an assistant with the Tampa Bay Lightning during that team’s dynastic run before serving as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings and lasting two and a half seasons. It’s probably fair to say the Red Wings underperformed during his tenure, as head coach Todd McLellan replaced Lalonde to better results. 

Lalonde has acquitted himself well as an analyst with Sportsnet. It’s probably not long before he gets a head coaching gig and his experience might be coveted by Rutherford and co. 

Gerard Gallant

It’s one of the great NHL mysteries why Gallant is still without a job. And why he keeps getting fired fairly early into his tenures with teams. His .523 winning percentage is high for a coach with as many games and teams coached as Gallant has. The two-time QMJHL champ (Saint John Sea Dogs represent) has served as the head coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Rangers. He had success with each of the last three teams and each time he was fired, heads turned in surprise. 

After taking the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s first season, he was turfed a season and a half later. The Panthers cast him aside after an early season rough patch and the Rangers sent him packing after a first-round exit. 

He has a ton of experience and is  known as a player-friendly coach. He is also known to be relatively hands-off. Will that appeal to Rutherford and Allvin? It’s not clear. It’s also not completely clear what caused three teams he had a good amount of success with to let him go after hitting one rough patch. 

The former Oilers tier

Todd Nelson

Nelson won three AHL championships and is highly regarded in the NHL. He’s been an NHL head coach only once, for half a season with the Oilers in 2014-15. He also served as an assistant for four years with the Dallas Stars while the team had success from 2018 to 2022. Nelson’s Hershey Bears are currently going for an AHL three-peat. He will be a NHL head coach soon. It’s very possible it’s with the Canucks—Nelson is one of the most coveted coaching options in the league. 

Jay Woodcroft

Woodcroft had a bad start to the 2023-24 season as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. He went 3-9-1 and was fired after two seasons of going deep into the playoffs. That’s what happens when you have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisatl and start the season badly. And the Oilers haven’t exactly been hurting since he left. But Woodcroft is still regarded as a good coach. He will be back in the NHL soon, with reports that he’s already interviewed with the Anaheim Ducks. 

The please no, this can’t happen tier

John Tortorella

“Torts” was recently fired by the Philadelphia Flyers, so he’s on the market. But the Canucks have already been through this once, and it lasted exactly one season. We can’t see it happening again. 

Joel Quenneville

Someone will do it. Even as the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial goes on, an NHL team will hire Quenneville, who resigned as head coach of the Panthers after investigations into the sexual assault of former Chicago Blackhawk Kyle Beach by video coach Brad Aldrich during Quenneville’s time with the team. 

The Blackhawks general manager at the time, Stan Bowman, was already hired by the Oilers last offseason. So yeah, it’s likely that an NHL team will hire Quenneville, who has had a lot of success at the NHL level. But many, many Canucks fans are surely hoping it’s not their team that does it. 

Our best guess

It feels like the Canucks need a steady hand at the wheel. There’s definitely a chance it’s Gallant. His record is impressive, he’s a veteran coach, and if the Canucks want to retool on the fly (which it very much seems like they want to do), he is pretty close to an ideal choice. But I think they go with Nelson. He’s got an impressive record and would ideally work well with the younger members of the team. Velucci is the darkhorse hire that I could also definitely see.