While his name floats all around the league’s coaching rumour mill, the former Vancouver Canucks bench boss Rick Tocchet will now step back into a familiar role for this weekend.
NHL on TNT announced Wednesday morning that Tocchet will be returning to the show this Friday and Saturday to offer his perspective and analysis on the four second-round matchups. Tocchet will join the panel alongside host Liam McHugh, Paul Bissonnette of Spittin’ Chiclets, and former teammate and former Canuck Anson Carter.
On Friday, the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Florida Panthers at 4 pm PST, then the Winnipeg Jets host the Dallas Stars at 6:30 pm PST. Saturday will see the Washington Capitals in Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes at 3 pm PST, rounding out with a Pacific division battle in Edmonton between the Oilers and the Vegas Golden Knights at 6 pm PST.
Tocchet will have the most personal insight on that final contest from his time at the helm of the Canucks, especially with last years series against the Oilers. Edmonton went on to beat Vancouver in a tight seven-game series last season in the second round en route to the Stanley Cup Finals.
He previously served on the NHL on TNT panel in 2021 after he parted ways with the Arizona Coyotes, where he held the head coaching job for four years. Tocchet appeared regularly on the show as a studio analyst until his departure to accept the job of Canucks head coach.
The 2024 Jack Adams Award winner’s appearance on TNT comes amidst a flurry of rumours of where he may end up next, with a number of coaching vacancies across the league. Chief among those are two teams he played for in his career: the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With Jim Rutherford saying Tocchet is looking for a job in the East, other possible destinations include the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks (as one of the more eastern Western Conference teams). His open future is sure to be top of mind for viewers and his co-analysts as he joins the panel this weekend.
A great hockey mind with a long career in the sport, Tocchet will be a great return addition to the NHL on TNT panel, and will possibly stack more appearances as an analyst as we run deeper into this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.
