When will Rich Tocchet be fired (or otherwise cease being our head coach)?

[Mosby]

And in may sound petty but I’d love to see Tocchet fired instead of just waiting for his contract to run out. It’d bring much joy after watching so much of his joyless hockey.

 

[MIGs Dog]

firing RT two months before the end of his contract would not be a good look

Who are we trying to impress? Coaches are fired all the time.

 

[XX]

I don't think BA can fire RT without the Meruelo's green light.

Let's not forget about Doan also. I can really see him advising the Meruelo's that firing of RT two months before the end of his contract would not be a good look.

Honestly, I think BA is fine with waiting. I would not even be surprised if there was an agreement between all to wait till the end of RT's contract then BA can do whatever he wants this summer.

We just have to be a patient, but RT will be gone.

You don't hire a GM after an extensive search only to block him from a zero cost hockey ops move. That makes you a stupid owner. It makes you the most dangerous person in the building.

You don't let a coach clearly lose his players over and over again, to a fault. That makes you a clown organization and Doan one too if he feels that way.

Waiting is not fine. I cannot emphasize that enough. Asking guys to skate out meaningless games under a coach that doesn't give two shits about them and has no say in their future while at the same time playing losing, awful caveman style hockey is not something this organization *needs* to go through, so why do it? Why would you want to evaluate players in that environment?

This is Rick Tocchet, not Joel Quenneville. And even Joel got fired after five straight losses a month into the season after 3 rings.

If you act weak and pathetic, you'll get the result you deserve.

 

[ParisSaintGermain]

If you act weak and pathetic, you'll get the result you deserve.

The way they have acted so far in the Mitchell's and Strang's situations have been weak and pathetic. Here keeping RT might be a weak move, but perhaps not pathetic. Progress!

 

[XX]

The way they have acted so far in the Mitchell's and Strang's situations have been weak and pathetic. Here keeping RT might be a weak move, but perhaps not pathetic. Progress!

It makes BA looks like a sock puppet with no authority, completely nullifying one of his best attributes (his credibility).

If they lose tonight and nothing happens, I'm officially done criticizing Tocchet. It's on to Meruelo and BA.

 

[CoyoteDave]

I place all of the stagnation of this hockey team on BA. He will state that we don't know the whole story (behind closed doors, injuries, personalities, talent etc) but it is evident that the team is not getting any better and is going backwards at times. Why would you continue to employ a head coach under those circumstances? BA the ball is in your court and has been for awhile. Earn your money!

 

[SniperHF]

Considered fixing the title but he doesn't deserve it at the moment

 

[Canis Latrans]

You just have to look at the standings and future schedule for us, the Kings, and the Blues to see what is keeping him in place. I agree completely that they play ineffectively, but the Blues are marred with injuries and down a bit, plus we already won that series. The Blues have a harder remaining schedule than the Coyotes so there is a glimmer of hope that that gap can be closed. They are close with the Kings. it'll just take that series to essentially determine that placing.

Odds are still not good, but I think it explains entirely why a decision on coach won't be made until the offseason. Also recall that Armstrong has only presided over Tocchet for about 30 games so maybe he just wanted a longer look and now has Tocchet in a playoff race so again, no decision to be made.

 

[XX]

You just have to look at the standings and future schedule for us, the Kings, and the Blues to see what is keeping him in place. I agree completely that they play ineffectively, but the Blues are marred with injuries and down a bit, plus we already won that series. The Blues have a harder remaining schedule than the Coyotes so there is a glimmer of hope that that gap can be closed. They are close with the Kings. it'll just take that series to essentially determine that placing.

Odds are still not good, but I think it explains entirely why a decision on coach won't be made until the offseason. Also recall that Armstrong has only presided over Tocchet for about 30 games so maybe he just wanted a longer look and now has Tocchet in a playoff race so again, no decision to be made.

They can only lose 6 or 7 games in regulation out of 24. The team has never played at that clip this year, and injuries are mounting. It's over. Everyone in the organization knows it. They can't even confidently put away teams like the Ducks.

 

[cobra427]

You don't hire a GM after an extensive search only to block him from a zero cost hockey ops move. That makes you a stupid owner. It makes you the most dangerous person in the building.

You don't let a coach clearly lose his players over and over again, to a fault. That makes you a clown organization and Doan one too if he feels that way.

Waiting is not fine. I cannot emphasize that enough. Asking guys to skate out meaningless games under a coach that doesn't give two shits about them and has no say in their future while at the same time playing losing, awful caveman style hockey is not something this organization *needs* to go through, so why do it? Why would you want to evaluate players in that environment?

This is Rick Tocchet, not Joel Quenneville. And even Joel got fired after five straight losses a month into the season after 3 rings.

If you act weak and pathetic, you'll get the result you deserve.

While I agree they should fire RT and should have fired him already, we don't have all the information. BA and AM could have agreed at the start of the season to keep RT through the end of the season almost no matter what. AM might be a believer in fulfilling contracts. There could be other reasons too. I'm not making excuses just saying we don't have all the information behind the decision to keep him for now.

 

[Canis Latrans]

They can only lose 6 or 7 games in regulation out of 24. The team has never played at that clip this year, and injuries are mounting. It's over. Everyone in the organization knows it. They can't even confidently put away teams like the Ducks.

And yet... I'm just suggesting the reasoning behind holding onto him for now. Expectations likely were 5th or 6th in the division, but technically 4th is within reach and he's going to be given the opportunity to finish out the season. If you look at remaining games for the Coyotes and Kings, the schedules are close in difficulty, probably slightly easier for the Kings, but the two teams have 5 more matchups, so taking care of business there can elevate one ahead of the other in the standings. The Blues may be up in the standings, but they certainly have the hardest remaining schedule left, probably hardest in the league actually, with 18 out of 19 against the Wild, Knights, and Avalanche (just the Coyotes as that other one). So I think if you look at this from a different perspective, there are rational reasons that he is not being let go now and they are going to let him fight out the rest of the season. I can agree that they don't play in such way that this is likely, but I'm not as surprised after taking a look at things more closely to see why they've come to such a conclusion.

 

[MIGs Dog]

Only 4 pts out of a playoff spot. Don't get suicidal when RT is extended.

 

[Schemp]

Not yet a full year has past, I doubt GMBA thinks this is "his" team, but the "hand he was dealt"! No reason to fire RT yet. The team we ice next season may very well be at least 1/3 total different personnel changes. IMO, we don't have enough skaters that are worth protecting in the expansion draft.
Tolerance until the new season, let it play out, let RT's contract run out. Fresh start, new bodies, new expectations, and a new culture.

 

[Summer Rose]

Considered fixing the title but he doesn't deserve it at the moment

I didn’t even notice my mistake until you pointed it out

 

[BUX7PHX]

Would there be any other reason as to why he isn't gone yet? I doubt that this would be the case, but does his contract have any language to where if we fire Tocchet, we actually owe him a specific amount of dollars more, and as a result, the best course of action would be to let him finish out his deal?

I just can't think of any other reason to continue with this charade. Past Coyote coaches did not have the talent in 2009-10 season, yet they found the way to make this team play above its individuals. Extrapolated to 82 games, our leading scorers (not including deadline adds) in 09-10 were:

Doan 55 p
Lombardi 55 p
Upshall 54 p
Vrbata 43 p
Jovo 42 p
Yandle 41 p
Lang 37 p

This year, its
Garland 64 p
Keller 59 p
Kessel 55 p
Chychrun 55 p
OEL 46 p
Schmaltz 45 p
Dvorak 42 p

I don't see how the pundits believe that Tocchet is doing a good job.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

How about this- percolate Hayton and Soderstrom in the A next year. Keep Tocchet and tank. Start the following season with a top 5 pick and a new coach.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

How about this- percolate Hayton and Soderstrom in the A next year. Keep Tocchet and tank. Start the following season with a top 5 pick and a new coach.

Tired of tanking. Tired of losing. Tired of mediocrity. This season has been brutal for so many reasons.

I want motivation to cheer for this team again. I want to like the team again. I want a team that can earn my loyalty.

Another year of this haplessness would be a coffin nail.

 

[XX]

The Sharks are playing well and can pass the Coyotes in the standings with a sweep of the two game set. Maybe they will do the deed.

 

[Jakey53]

Tired of tanking. Tired of losing. Tired of mediocrity. This season has been brutal for so many reasons.

I want motivation to cheer for this team again. I want to like the team again. I want a team that can earn my loyalty.

Another year of this haplessness would be a coffin nail.

In a few months we will see what BA is made of. I like you I'm tired of all the failure. I put up with it before because of all the circumstances, but now there are no excuses. If BA has a five year plan that better include new coaches, because we know there will be many new faces next year and the year after. I don't want a suspect coach leading this team.

 

[Bonsai Tree]

There have been seasons far more depressing than this one. We are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The year of the losing streak to start off the season was gut wrenching. The last year of Gretzky and the bankruptcy was gut wrenching. Like all true fans, we bitch and we moan, but we have been far worse off than we are now.

 

[Jakey53]

There have been seasons far more depressing than this one. We are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The year of the losing streak to start off the season was gut wrenching. The last year of Gretzky and the bankruptcy was gut wrenching. Like all true fans, we bitch and we moan, but we have been far worse off than we are now.

We Coyote fans have really really low expectations. We have been far worse than now, but there were reasons for that, but now, there are no excuses. I really don't care who they trade, or who they bring in, or who coaches, it's winning that matters to me. Enough is enough. I'm a hockey fan thru and thru, and have played years ago and watched all my life, but now, I'm turning off the game after the first period many times, and I never did that even in TGO years. We have a coach that can't coach, we have a GM that we don't know can GM. Look at Vegas and their success. It's not by accident. They brought in an experienced GM who hired a proven experienced coach. We did exactly the opposite, and the results show.

 

[Vinny Boombatz]

We Coyote fans have really really low expectations. We have been far worse than now, but there were reasons for that, but now, there are no excuses. I really don't care who they trade, or who they bring in, or who coaches, it's winning that matters to me. Enough is enough. I'm a hockey fan thru and thru, and have played years ago and watched all my life, but now, I'm turning off the game after the first period many times, and I never did that even in TGO years. We have a coach that can't coach, we have a GM that we don't know can GM. Look at Vegas and their success. It's not by accident. They brought in an experienced GM who hired a proven experienced coach. We did exactly the opposite, and the results show.

I would say that BA has brought in highly regarded people early on, people that have had success elsewhere, which bodes well. Let's see who he hires as the next coach and what he does at the trade deadline and subsequent offseason. He seems to want to get young assets rather than draft picks, probably because he realizes that spending money on FA is a bad idea, which I totally agree with.

Might as well get assets that will be increasing in value. Truly hope that BA is the right guy for the job and we begin to see the fruits of having competent people in the right positions, because as you've said, we haven't in the past.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

I would say that BA has brought in highly regarded people early on, people that have had success elsewhere, which bodes well. Let's see who he hires as the next coach and what he does at the trade deadline and subsequent offseason. He seems to want to get young assets rather than draft picks, probably because he realizes that spending money on FA is a bad idea, which I totally agree with.

Might as well get assets that will be increasing in value. Truly hope that BA is the right guy for the job and we begin to see the fruits of having competent people in the right positions, because as you've said, we haven't in the past.

Oh yeah... Yotes are LONG overdue for a good GM to give them stability at least for a while. I'm right there with you hoping that things can take a consistent swing upwards.

 

[RemoAZ]

There have been seasons far more depressing than this one. We are still in the hunt for a playoff spot. The year of the losing streak to start off the season was gut wrenching. The last year of Gretzky and the bankruptcy was gut wrenching. Like all true fans, we bitch and we moan, but we have been far worse off than we are now.

No first round pick makes this different imo. There's no consolation prize, no lottery hope. If Armstrong sells off a bunch of assets at the deadline and we completely tank, it's going to make no pick feel that much worse. I totally expect to have a great shot at the #1 pick by the end of the season (if we had one). That's Coyote luck.

 

[Knights2017]

Given the amount of known internal issues with AM and staff, RT probably has a boat load of ammo against them which they fear he will unleash via a tell all news article as repercussion if fired.

What ammo??

doubt this