VANCOUVER — Rick Tocchet went first.
Before Vancouver Canucks players trudged to the podium Friday morning to face questions from media and address fans one last time before the offseason, and several days before Canucks management will discuss what went wrong in a squandered campaign, Tocchet held court independently.
It was a fascinating decision, and perhaps a telling one.
The Canucks bench boss has been far more heavily scrutinized this season, an inevitability given his team’s underperformance across a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. He’s still the reigning Jack Adams winner, though, and highly regarded for his people skills and X’s and O’s mastery throughout the league.
That Tocchet was invited to serve as Canada’s head coach at the World Championships this spring, for example, speaks volumes.
Tocchet is out of contract at the end of this league year, although the team holds a club option to extend his deal for one more season. That gives the club some rights in this instance, but make no mistake, there will be conversations about his future in the days and weeks ahead. If Tocchet remains in Vancouver, it’s more likely to be on an extended contract.
While there’s plenty of time for both sides to reach an agreement, and nothing Tocchet said Friday suggests he’s on his way out, it’s always notable when a coach on an expiring contract addresses the media independently of his bosses. At the very least, it’s an indicator of uncertainty. Of an unsettled situation. Of lingering questions that will require an organizational answer.
It’s a sign that Tocchet intends to take his time and go through “a process,” as he’s repeatedly outlined. An indication that he needs to take a beat, reset after a challenging season and make a decision that may not be as simple as wading through the dollars and cents of working out an extension.
"I have to take a breathe+out of respect, you have to go through the process. You have too.
I understand the next question is 'Well, how much time do you need?' But there's a process I have to go through with Jim + Patrik. That's where it's at." – Tocchet on his #Canucks future.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) April 18, 2025
On the Tocchet front, and many others, there was a sense of questions unanswered and an unsettled vibe surrounding the Canucks coming out of locker cleanout day Friday. Tocchet’s standalone availability, then, set the tone for a fascinating set of commentary from key Canucks figures.
Let’s get deeper into what we heard on garbage bag day, and what it all means as the Canucks open a critical offseason.
Vancouver traded J.T. Miller in January, but the dysfunction that caused this season to go off the rails seemed to be at the heart of several players’ reflections.
The commentary was evident both in text and subtext. Jake DeBrusk described seeing things throughout this season that he’d never previously encountered in his NHL career. Tocchet acknowledged that the situation became “uncomfortable,” and he took a bit of a shot at podcasters and outside media sniping at how the club should’ve handled the matter. Elias Pettersson, of course, had to address the matter head-on, and while he acknowledged that he and Miller might not have been best friends, he insisted that they did have respect for one another as teammates.
Perhaps the most succinct and impactful acknowledgement of the situation came from Brock Boeser. Reflecting on the disappointing campaign, Boeser suggested the club could’ve done a better job to “quash” some of the chatter surrounding intrasquad dynamics earlier on.
“We let the noise creep into our room a little bit,” Boeser said, “and we started playing not good hockey.”
It was an on-the-nose acknowledgement of the cost that the intrasquad squabbling had on Vancouver’s performance, and one of the more notable quotes to come out of locker cleanout day.
We’ve all been trying to work through theories that might explain Pettersson’s struggles since the 2024 NHL All-Star break. And for the most part, we’ve been grasping at straws.
On Friday, however, Tocchet seemed to pinpoint offseason preparation as a major part of the story.
“His preparation has to get better,” Tocchet said. “He got behind the eight-ball early … he was never able to gain any traction.”
Tocchet added that Pettersson needs to be more attentive and engaged in practices. And that “his (offseason) plan has to change.”
Tocchet isn’t the first Canucks decision-maker to bring up Pettersson’s preparation as an issue of late. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin suggested as much in an interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre earlier this month, suggesting that the club would like to see Pettersson remain in Vancouver to train.
Pettersson noted that he would remain in Vancouver to begin the offseason, but plans to spend some time back home in Sweden as well.
It was a difficult season, both mentally and physically, for Thatcher Demko.
Three extended injury-related absences limited him to just about 20 starts. He battled some inconsistency when he was available, although, in moments, he also looked like the player that he’s been for much of his career: one of the single most dominant puck stoppers on the planet.
Demko will become extension eligible on July 1, and it was fascinating to hear him say, “I’d like to get an extension done.”
"I've always wanted to be a Canuck, since day one."
Thatcher Demko discusses the possibility of signing an extension with the Canucks. pic.twitter.com/O883zrd4tI
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 18, 2025
A Demko extension is a difficult thing to price out, in part because the range of possible outcomes is so wide. On the one hand, he’s one of the most athletic and gifted goaltenders on the planet, with a long track record of Vezina-calibre play. On the other hand, at 29, he’s yet to play a full season as a workhorse starter in which he managed an above-average save percentage and was healthy at the end of the campaign.
How the Canucks approach possible extension talks with Demko, and how Demko and his camp view his market value, will be a fascinating subplot this summer.
Pettersson’s end-of-year media availability was more highly anticipated than any other player because of the mystery and intrigue surrounding his dramatic fall-off this season. The questions had especially built up because he missed the final 12 regular-season games due to an oblique injury, which meant reporters hadn’t spoken to him in weeks.
Vancouver’s No. 1 centre was a bit cagey and guarded when answering questions Friday morning.
Daniel Wagner asked what the difference is between when he was a 100-point player two years ago and through the first half of last season, compared to his underwhelming production this season. Pettersson didn’t have much specific insight to share.
“Obviously, my play wasn’t (up) to the standard of those two seasons,” he said. “I don’t even know what you’re trying to get with the question, but points weren’t the same, I guess.”
Pettersson also didn’t have an explanation — at least one that he’d share publicly — when The Athletic pointed to NHL Edge data indicating that his skating speed and shot velocity have declined significantly compared to two years ago and asked if he had any theories for why that was the case. He took a long pause as he pondered the question and said, “Not exactly, I guess. Yeah, I’m not sure but definitely gonna work on it.”
The 26-year-old said he plans to stay in Vancouver to do some extra work before flying back to Sweden for the summer. Based on that, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be spending his offseason training with Quinn Hughes in Michigan. That’s notable because Tocchet revealed that a couple of Canucks players will be joining Hughes and training with him in the summer.
Pettersson spoke decisively about his need to get stronger over the next several months and his confidence in the resources available to him in the offseason.
Boeser didn’t completely shut the door on re-signing with the Canucks on Friday, but based on all the dynamics at play, it’s a long shot at this juncture. The 28-year-old winger is well-positioned to cash in on a lucrative contract, and despite how much he’s expressed his love for the city and this organization, there has been a significant discrepancy in valuation between him and the team in contract talks.
Chances are that he’s played his last game in a Canucks uniform. As he reflected on his eight full seasons with Vancouver, he shared a heartfelt message about what this city has meant to him.
“The first couple of years when you’re a young guy and you come here, it’s your first time moving a little further away from home,” he said. “It just started to feel like home more and more as I grew (older) here. Now it feels like home to me. I have a girlfriend from here.
“If this is it, I’m sure I’ll be back a lot. It’ll always be home to me.”
No matter where he goes next, Canucks fans will always be rooting for Boeser. And that’s not only because of his play, but also the grace and class with which he’s always carried himself.
Arguably, the best news from cleanout day was Chytil’s health update. He said he cleared concussion protocol and was excited to have had the opportunity to join his teammates for a couple of skates last week.
“It’s great to head to the offseason 100 percent ready (and healthy) and have a big summer now and be ready for September,” he said.
The timeline for concussions can be unpredictable, and especially scary for Chytil, given that he’s had multiple head injuries in his career. It’s encouraging that he’s past this one. There will still be some concern about re-injury risk when he returns to the full intensity and physicality of NHL games next season, but for now, it’s excellent news that health won’t hinder his summer training or put him behind the eight-ball to start next season.
Vancouver can’t pencil Chytil in to be its second-line center next year because of his inexperience as a full-time top-six center and durability issues, but it’d be a huge boost if he can stay healthy and productive in a third-line center role for 2025-26.
(Photo: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)
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