Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet decided not to return to the team for next season.

Tocchet's time with the Canucks ends after parts of three seasons. His contract expired, and the Canucks chose not to exercise a team option to keep him for another season.

"I'm choosing to move on from the Vancouver Canucks," Tocchet said in a statement. "Family is a priority, and with my contract lapsing, this becomes the opportune time. While I don't know where I'm headed or exactly how this will play out for me over the near term, I feel like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey."

Tocchet thanked the Canucks organization, the coaching and support staff, the media and the fans. He also thanked the players, coming off last season's Round 2 appearance and this season's playoff miss.

"Regardless of our results, I always felt your heart and effort was there," Tocchet said. "I was honoured to be your coach."

Tocchet replaced Bruce Boudreau midway through the 2022-23 season and went 20-12-4. That set them up to rise in the 2023-24 season, going 50-23-9 and finishing on top of the Pacific Division. Tocchet received the Jack Adams Award that season for his results.

This season, Vancouver finished outside of a playoff spot with a 38-30-14 record.

The Canucks are the eighth team currently without a permanent NHL coach. The Pittsburgh Penguins parted with coach Mike Sullivan on Monday. Tocchet was an assistant coach with the Penguins for three seasons, two of which were with Sullivan.

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