Dreger: Tocchet's Future in AZ "Doubtful"

[rt]

"My sense is that Rick Tocchet's days now are probably over with the Coyotes at the end of the season. There was sense that perhaps there would be an opportunity to extend, but my sources indicate that it's more likely that Tocchet goes to the free-market."

Insider Trading: Are the Canucks close to extending Green?

^ 2:20 Mark

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[Profet]

David Quinn:

 

[BruinsBtn]

Boudreau would be a great hire for a team that struggles to score.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think Tocchet is super overrated as a head coach and he should be viewed as either an assistant or an associate coach.

 

[rt]

The interesting thing about Rick Tocchet, to me, is the complete disconnect between fans of the team, and media members when it comes to his proficiency or effectiveness as a head-coach. All of the big national media guys praise him universally. So do all of the local media members here in Arizona. But also the main regional beat-writers in the division seem to universally praise him and feel that he's the best thing Arizona has going for itself:

I’ve taken a huge Article from Craig Morgan at the Athletic from May 27th 2020 and chopped out everything not germane to Rick Tocchet:

“The Coyotes are an easy target for casual hockey fans who don’t understand the ripple effects that unstable ownership and a lack of draft lottery luck can have on a franchise. Arizona has missed the playoffs for seven straight seasons. Had it not been for the NHL’s proposed 24-team format, the Coyotes were trending toward an eighth straight postseason-less spring.

Beat writers tend to have a more nuanced understanding of the NHL’s teams due to their daily coverage of the league, their interaction and communication with its players, coaches and executives, and writers’ less emotional approach to analysis.

We reached out to The Athletic’s elite collection of Pacific Division writers to gauge their opinions on a variety of Coyotes/Arizona-related topics.

Thanks to Scott Cruickshank, Thomas Drance, Lisa Dillman, Jesse Granger, Kevin Kurz, Eric Stephens and Jonathan Willis for their thoughts and time.

*Thomas Drance, Canucks*

Big picture observation of Coyotes organization:
Obviously, the years of ownership instability and the misplaced rink stands out, but focusing on the hockey side: The team is well coached with a deep, if often injured blue line, but just lacks that top-end group of forwards you need to durably compete for a playoff spot year after year.

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet:
Good quote. His teams seem to play a simple, disciplined game. He seems to get the most out of his talent. I’d be curious to know if he coaches such a defensive style because of the personnel or because of his philosophy. I suspect it’s the former. It would be fun to see how his teams would play with more skill.

*Eric Stephens, Ducks*

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet:
I think Tocchet has done a solid job of shepherding this club out of its rebuilding period. On the occasions that I watch them play, I see a group that works hard and it looks like Tocchet does get a lot out of his younger players. I am a bit surprised that Kessel had such a poor year, given his association with the coach during their days together in Pittsburgh. I didn’t think the veteran scorer would put up as many points as he did working on a potent Penguins roster but he’s much better than 38 points in 70 games. The 2020-21 season might be decisive for Tocchet as to being able to lift an improved Arizona roster to the next level.

*Scott Cruickshank, Flames*

Opinion of GM John Chayka:
A whippersnapper with grand (and, hopefully, out of the box) notions. He was smart enough to hire Rick Tocchet, to trade for Darcy Kuemper. And when his team was in need of a star, of an offensive pusher — of, more than anything, a statement — he landed Taylor Hall. Since the acquisition, team returns may have been substandard, but his faith in the team is obvious. Now — how will he manage that asset and navigate his outfit’s salary-cap crunch?

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet:
The real deal, even though he had big shoes to fill. A hard-nosed man, Tocchet knows what he’s doing. In 2018-19, having coerced an injury-depleted roster to within four points of a playoff spot, he placed sixth for the Jack Adams Award, including three first-place votes. He deserves to have the reins.

*Jesse Granger, Golden Knights*

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet: Tocchet has improved the Coyotes all three years, and has done it without a major offensive weapon. He gets the most out of his team, and plays to his roster’s strengths. It will be interesting to see how he transitions as this young crop of forwards mature, and likely become more equipped for scoring in bunches. I’ve also heard many glowing things about Tocchet from members of the Vegas organization, especially former coach Gerard Gallant, and I think he’s one of the better coaches in the league right now.

*Lisa Dillman, Kings*

Opinion of GM John Chayka:
I thought it spoke volumes about Chayka when he hired an old-school coach like Rick Tocchet. It suggests he was prepared to see a broader NHL world and understands intangible qualities that can’t necessarily be mapped out on a spreadsheet.

Opinion of Rick Tocchet:
I was on board with the hire when it was made and find no reason since then to think otherwise. An illustration of a coach’s impact on the team is when the group needs to be galvanized. Tocchet is a “player’s coach” who brings old-school values but is prepared to digest new sources of information and isn’t stuck in a time warp.

*Jonathan Willis, Oilers*

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet:
Tocchet’s a solid coach. He proved that last season with what he got out of an injury-ravaged Coyotes team. I do wonder if he’s in a little bit of danger as an NHL head coach, though. This is his second stop and fifth season as an NHL coach, and with the play-in round pending, he hasn’t guided a team to the playoffs. There are all kinds of good reasons for that, but after a while it’s easy for people to ignore that kind of nuance and just see a coach who hasn’t got the job done.

*Kevin Kurz, Sharks*

Opinion of coach Rick Tocchet:
One of the better coaches in the league. There are probably some similarities to Craig Berube here, in that the way he played the game — tough, hard-nosed, and old school — that doesn’t seem to jibe with the way many now view the league. But, they both have been successful, in my opinion, with Berube’s team winning the Stanley Cup and Tocchet’s group remaining competitive despite so many injuries.”

Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes
Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes

^ the thing is, Coyotes fans are pretty universally supportive of Tocchet being let go. Every time a poll is posted on the Coyotes forum here, it's generally 50+ votes in favor of immediate termination and only 5ish votes in favor of more patience. This is going back over a year. Twitter really seems to be the same story. It really feels like 9/10 Coyotes fans think Tocchet is bad and have wanted him gone for a year or more. Yet, I've never seen one word of even slight criticism of him from any member of the media anywhere at any point since he was hired. More than that, if is is mentioned, they almost always go out of their way to make sure they praise him.

 

[CLW]

The interesting thing about Rick Tocchet, to me, is the complete disconnect between fans of the team, and media members when it comes to his proficiency or effectiveness as a head-coach. All of the big national media guys praise him universally. So do all of the local media members here in Arizona. But also the main regional beat-writers in the division seem to universally praise him and feel that he's the best thing Arizona has going for itself:

I’ve taken a huge Article from Craig Morgan at the Athletic from May 27th 2020 and chopped out everything not germane to Rick Tocchet:



Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes
Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes

^ the thing is, Coyotes fans are pretty universally supportive of Tocchet being let go. Every time a poll is posted on the Coyotes forum here, it's generally 50+ votes in favor of immediate termination and only 5ish votes in favor of more patience. This is going back over a year. Twitter really seems to be the same story. It really feels like 9/10 Coyotes fans think Tocchet is bad and have wanted him gone for a year or more. Yet, I've never seen one word of even slight criticism of him from any member of the media anywhere at any point since he was hired. More than that, if is is mentioned, they almost always go out of their way to make sure they praise him.

"Journalism" has descended into corporate sycophancy now. There is no future in being the head that sticks above the crowd of lap dogs, those heads get chopped off pretty quickly and we end up with the puff pieces flooding us today.

 

[StreetHawk]

No surprise. New GM in charge who has no ties to him. Might want to start new.

 

[jaric1862]

Straight to Seattle

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

I'll be honest Arizona is as good as it's going to get, unless he believes Columbus or Buffalo will be the better option. I don't see him ending up in Seattle. As for Brind'Amour, I believe he gets the money he wants in Carolina or for all we know he's taking a hometown discount.

 

[Jules Winnfield]

I'd love Tocchet back in Pittsburgh as an assistant.

 

[rt]

I'll be honest Arizona is as good as it's going to get, unless he believes Columbus or Buffalo will be the better option. I don't see him ending up in Seattle. As for Brind'Amour, I believe he gets the money he wants in Carolina or for all we know he's taking a hometown discount.

I believe Francis is only really considering three names; Brind’Amour, Maurice, and Tocchet. I don’t expect the first two will be available. I think Tocchet will be the 1st Head Coach of the Seattle Kraken.

Wouldn’t be at all surprised if he brings his buddies Phil Housley and John MacLean with him.

 

[rt]

No surprise. New GM in charge who has no ties to him. Might want to start new.

I’m like many Coyotes fans who are hoping that Bill Armstrong lures Mike Van Ryn away from the Blues. He was a very successful head coach in Tucson before taking the assistant job with St Louis. Many of the young Coyotes players who played for him in Tucson still sing his praises. Conor Garland is an especially vocal advocate. Van Ryn had a long and successful playing career, paid his dues with success in the OHL and then the AHL and finally as an NHL assistant. He seems like a good fit.

 

[SomeDude]

 

[rt]

If Tocchet goes to Seattle, and Francis wants a little star power for the fans....maybe, just maybe we’ll see Phil McKraken.

 

[rt]

Boudreau would be a great hire for a team that struggles to score.

I’d love to add Boudreau but I think the Coyotes will go younger and cheaper. Maybe Mike Van Ryn or Nate Leaman or maybe even Steve Ott.

 

[gstommylee]

I believe Francis is only really considering three names; Brind’Amour, Maurice, and Tocchet. I don’t expect the first two will be available. I think Tocchet will be the 1st Head Coach of the Seattle Kraken.

Wouldn’t be at all surprised if he brings his buddies Phil Housley and John MacLean with him.

How do you know that? Seattle is only considering those 3? They never said who they are looking at. All they said they are gonna wait to see what else could become available after the season is over. As far as we know Seattle could still hire Gallant as HC.

 

[AirGut]

NYR here's your f***in guy

 

[rt]

Drury now will be responsible for deciding Quinn’s fate behind the bench.

There would be one guiding principle here for Drury, and that is whether he believes Quinn has the right stuff to lead the Rangers to the Stanley Cup. That’s it. If the answer is no, there is no reason to dally. That would be the case even if Arizona’s Rick Tocchet were not looming as a free agent.

Larry Brooks speculating that Rick Tocchet might be a fit for the Rangers if they move on from Quinn.
Why Rangers owner Jim Dolan fired John Davidson, Jeff Gorton

 

[DuklaNation]

Overdue. Short term success should never interfere with player development.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

The interesting thing about Rick Tocchet, to me, is the complete disconnect between fans of the team, and media members when it comes to his proficiency or effectiveness as a head-coach. All of the big national media guys praise him universally. So do all of the local media members here in Arizona. But also the main regional beat-writers in the division seem to universally praise him and feel that he's the best thing Arizona has going for itself:

I’ve taken a huge Article from Craig Morgan at the Athletic from May 27th 2020 and chopped out everything not germane to Rick Tocchet:



Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes
Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes

^ the thing is, Coyotes fans are pretty universally supportive of Tocchet being let go. Every time a poll is posted on the Coyotes forum here, it's generally 50+ votes in favor of immediate termination and only 5ish votes in favor of more patience. This is going back over a year. Twitter really seems to be the same story. It really feels like 9/10 Coyotes fans think Tocchet is bad and have wanted him gone for a year or more. Yet, I've never seen one word of even slight criticism of him from any member of the media anywhere at any point since he was hired. More than that, if is is mentioned, they almost always go out of their way to make sure they praise him.

yes fan bases always have the ability to objectively evaluate their coach... not

 

[rt]

yes fan bases always have the ability to objectively evaluate their coach... not

It’s been four years. I’m talking like 90/10.

 

[TheGreenTBer]

He looks like a thirty-something divorced bartender that pretends to work out at the gym but really just awkwardly checks if you're wiping down the equipment after sets the whole time.

 

[rt]

He looks like a thirty-something divorced bartender that pretends to work out at the gym but really just awkwardly checks if you're wiping down the equipment after sets the whole time.

Is this a type of person that exists?

 

[deca guard]

The interesting thing about Rick Tocchet, to me, is the complete disconnect between fans of the team, and media members when it comes to his proficiency or effectiveness as a head-coach. All of the big national media guys praise him universally. So do all of the local media members here in Arizona. But also the main regional beat-writers in the division seem to universally praise him and feel that he's the best thing Arizona has going for itself:

I’ve taken a huge Article from Craig Morgan at the Athletic from May 27th 2020 and chopped out everything not germane to Rick Tocchet:



Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes
Alternate takes: Pacific Division beat writers opine on Coyotes

^ the thing is, Coyotes fans are pretty universally supportive of Tocchet being let go. Every time a poll is posted on the Coyotes forum here, it's generally 50+ votes in favor of immediate termination and only 5ish votes in favor of more patience. This is going back over a year. Twitter really seems to be the same story. It really feels like 9/10 Coyotes fans think Tocchet is bad and have wanted him gone for a year or more. Yet, I've never seen one word of even slight criticism of him from any member of the media anywhere at any point since he was hired. More than that, if is is mentioned, they almost always go out of their way to make sure they praise him.

you say all the media guys praise him . i say who do they ever criticize ?

 

[66-30-33]

He did good with the Pens, i'd hire him in the same role he was used here.