There’s rarely a dull moment in the NHL’s coaching business. Despite the constant change around the league, some coaches are able to remain consistent and separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

With that, TheHockeyNews.com is nearing the final stretch of the NHL coaches ranking, listing all the active bench bosses from No. 32 through No. 1.

Criteria for the rankings include each coach’s accomplishments, short- and long-term histories, reputation, and expectations. But this ranking is subjective. 

As we continue through the top 10, here is who gets the nod at No. 8.

Rick Tocchet was a terrific player for nearly two decades, but his coaching career has been much more of a roller coaster. That said, in the three seasons between 2023-24 and 2025-26, Tocchet’s teams made the playoffs twice and won a division championship. And considering that one of those teams was a young Philadelphia Flyers team in the midst of a rebuild, that’s impressive work on Tocchet’s behalf.

Although Tocchet’s two years as Vancouver Canucks coach included a serious high from winning a Pacific Division title in his first season in Vancouver, they also included the low of the Canucks imploding the following season.

If that weren’t on Tocchet’s resume, he’d be higher on this ranking. But Tocchet’s subpar season in 2024-25 didn’t stop the Flyers from snapping him up, even as Philadelphia was trying to find its identity.

Tocchet is one of the game’s premier coaches in no small part because he’s unafraid to challenge his players, even if the player’s reputation is imposing.

The best example came this season when Tocchet and young star Matvei Michkov’s relationship turned rocky. Michkov had a terrible first half of the season, and that was reflected in Tocchet barely using him for many, if not most, nights. 

Michkov had a late-season turnaround to get to the 20-goal plateau for the second straight season, but in eight playoff games, Michkov had just one assist, and Tocchet gave him an average ice time of just 11:50 in the post-season.

However, it's hard to criticize Tocchet for that, especially because the bench boss steered the Flyers into the post-season and past their arch-rival Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.

The Flyers are still a work-in-progress, so Tocchet must continue being a teacher as well as a pusher for his team to get further into the playoffs next year.

The Metropolitan Division will be more competitive in 2026-27, but Tocchet has an improved goaltending tandem after Joseph Woll was acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Thus, the expectation for the Flyers next season is that they continue being a playoff team.

Tocchet’s charisma is one of the reasons why players play so hard for him. He’s not preening and pressing on the bench, aiming to make himself look good for the cameras.

He’ll have his favorites, as every NHL coach does, but Tocchet has shown in Vancouver and Philadelphia that he knows what he’s doing. And as this young Flyers team continues evolving, Philadelphia GM Daniel Briere will be happy he chose Tocchet to shepherd his players to a better place as individuals and as a team.

If Tocchet were back on the open market this summer, it’s not an exaggeration to say there'd be at least a few teams prepared to fire their current coach in order to hire him. He had a rough stretch with the Canucks two years ago, but Tocchet weathered the storm and came out the other side with his reputation preserved. 

The higher the Flyers climb in the standings and in the post-season, the higher Tocchet will climb on this coach rankings list.

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