NHL analyst pours cold water on Canucks-Rick Tocchet 'bad blood', speculates Quinn Hughes' involvement in Adam Foote decision

NHL analyst Farhan Lalji dismissed notions of bad blood between the Vancouver Canucks and Rick Tocchet while speculating that Quinn Hughes may have influenced Adam Foote's appointment.

The Canucks named Foote their 22nd head coach in franchise history on Wednesday. This comes after it was announced that Tocchet would not continue as head coach of the Canucks for the forthcoming season.

Meanwhile, Tocchet replaced John Tortorella as the Philadelphia Flyers' coach. Torts was fired by the Flyers with nine games remaining in the regular season.

During TSN's SportsCentre segment, Farhan Lalji suggested that Quinn Hughes likely played a role, as the Canucks prioritized keeping their star defenseman content to encourage a potential contract extension next summer.

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"I do think Quinn had some. The narrative in the marketplace in the last few weeks has been: do everything possible to make Quinn Hughes happy so that maybe he'll extend with this team next summer. I don't think he made the decision or signed off on it, but I do think the club understood how much Rick Tocchet meant to Quinn Hughes," Lalji said.

Lalji explained that despite expectations that Manny Malhotra, a first-time NHL head coach candidate, was a strong contender, Foote's hiring preserved elements of Tocchet's defensive coaching style.

The analyst added that Rick Tocchet was highly sought after and concluded that his return to Philadelphia was a logical and anticipated move.

"Rick Tocchet was going to be sought after. Philadelphia's paying him a lot of money, just like the Canucks were willing to do. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen in the East, and a place like Philadelphia made a lot of sense. I don't think there's any bad blood on the part of the organization or the fan base for him to go and return home to Philly."

Meanwhile, Adam Foote has been serving as an assistant head coach for the Canucks since 2023. According to reports, the Canucks are planning to bolster Foote's staff with experienced assistants, potentially including a former head coach or offensive specialist.

How did Rick Tocchet perform as head coach of the Canucks?

Rick Tocchet was named the 21st head coach of the Vancouver Canucks in January 2023, replacing Bruce Boudreau. Tocchet went on to spend two and a half seasons behind the bench with the Canucks.

He helped the Canucks reach the playoffs last time, also assisting them in winning the Pacific Division title. Tocchet decided to step down as the coach of the Canucks following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, where the club failed to qualify for the playoffs.

Tocchet posted a 108-65-27 record with Vancouver.