Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet speaks to players during the opening day of the NHL hockey team's training camp, in Penticton, B.C., on Sept. 19.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Throughout their history, the Vancouver Canucks have mostly been defined by the players on the ice.
In recent years, for instance, there was the era of Daniel and Henrik Sedin – the Swedish twins and Hall of Famers who led the team to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final in 2011. Before the Sedins, there were the years dominated by the line of Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison – the West Coast Express.
Roberto Luongo, the best goalie in franchise history and another Hall of Famer, was a player who shared a part of both of those epochs.
Earlier, there were the Trevor Linden years, which coincided with the Pavel Bure years.
Rare has there been a time in the team’s history when you thought the most important pieces of the franchise were not the ones on the ice, but rather the ones responsible for the on-ice product. Yet, when you look at where the Canucks stand as they approach the start of the 2024-25 season, you can’t look at the brain trust – president Jim Rutherford, general manager Patrik Allvin and add in reigning NHL coach of the year Rick Tocchet – and not conclude this is the most consequential management team and coaching staff in the team’s history.
Not only should the Canucks be a team that could contend for the Stanley Cup come the spring, but they will be assisted greatly, now and in the future, by a farm system that is stocking some pretty high-end talent, players who could easily make another NHL team if they were free to do so.
Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin, centre, head coach Rick Tocchet, left, and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, right. This is the most consequential management team and coaching staff in the team’s history.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
The Canucks took Edmonton to a seventh game in last year’s second round before being eliminated from Cup contention. Anything less than a second-round showing this year will be a huge disappointment. Anything less than a conference final would likely be seen as less than a step forward by players and management.
On the ice, the Canucks will once again be led by captain and reigning Norris trophy winner Quinn Hughes, down the middle by centres Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller while last season’s 40-goal scorer, Brock Boeser, and free-agent acquisition Jake DeBrusk are the team’s big names on the wing. That would be the star nucleus of the Canucks but, of course, Stanley Cup contenders are decided by the quality of the supporting cast.
The two biggest off-season losses for the team were centre Elias Lindholm and monster defenceman Nikita Zadorov. Both were picked up mid-season last year from the Calgary Flames and both played instrumental roles in the Canucks postseason success. But sometimes players price themselves out of the situation they are in and that’s what happened in this case; both Lindholm and Zadorov will suit up for the Bruins this season.
On the ice, the Canucks will once again be led by captain and reigning Norris trophy winner Quinn Hughes. Hughes skates during the opening day of the NHL hockey team's training camp on Sept. 19.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
That doesn’t mean the Canucks are necessarily lesser for their departures. Allvin made some wily free-agent acquisitions that give the team skill but mostly a lot of speed up front, which is an essential element of any NHL team hoping to hoist the Cup at the end of the year. Those pickups include Danton Heinen (who suited up for Boston last season), Kiefer Sherwood (coming from Nashville) and Daniel Sprong, who played for Detroit in 2023-24.
To replace Zadorov on the backend, the Canucks signed free agent Vincent Desharnais who Vancouver saw plenty of in its second-round series against Edmonton. He’s also a towering presence on the blueline – the Canucks had one of the biggest defensive corps in the league last season and it should be equally as intimidating this season – although his skill with the puck can sometimes be questionable.
Character players such as Conor Garland, Dakota Joshua (who is recovering from testicular cancer and has no timeline for a return to the team), Teddy Blueger and Nils Hoglander – all regular-season stalwarts last year – are back and hungry for more.
Vancouver Canucks' Jake DeBrusk celebrates his game-winning goal against the Calgary Flames, with Elias Pettersson during overtime NHL pre-season hockey action on Sept. 25. DeBrusk was a free-agent acquisition for the Canucks.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
As mentioned the blueline will be stout. Along with Desharnais and Hughes, there is the captain’s playing partner, Filip Hronek, as well as Tyler Myers, Carson Soucy and Derek Forbort. A fight is on for a couple of remaining spots.
The team picked up goaltender Kevin Lankinen, who played for Nashville last season, as some insurance in net. Vézina finalist Thatcher Demko injured himself at the end of last season and is expected to begin the season on injured reserve. Arturs Silovs, who so ably filled in when Demko went down during the playoffs last spring, is also back.
So the team looks solid in goal.
And then there is the aforementioned Tocchet behind the bench. There may not have been a bigger factor in the team’s success last season than the coach. He brought a structure to the Canucks’ play that had been missing in recent years. He demands hard work and accountability and isn’t afraid to bench anyone who fails to meet the standard he demands, regardless of their status.
He expects even better things from his team this season. And he knows better than most how hard that will be.