Canucks Need to “Embrace the Hard” to Help Rick Tocchet Win Back-to-Back Jack Adams Awards
The Canucks have and will face many changes and obstacles, all of which they’ll need to adapt to in order to succeed.
Photo by Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - Canucks Need to “Embrace the Hard” to Help Rick Tocchet Win Back-to-Back Jack Adams AwardsIn 2024, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet did what everybody expected of him (albeit after a little hesitance) and took home the Jack Adams Award. This award is essentially given to the best coach in the league for that particular season, with various factors such as a team’s anticipated success, postseason qualification, and impact on systems and structure. Under Tocchet, the Canucks saw a strong uptick in defensive play, something that was once a sore point for the team. A competitive, strong-willed coach, Tocchet’s prioritization of body positioning has brought forwards like Brock Boeser and Nils Höglander to another level. His Jack Adams campaign for the 2023-2024 regular season was predominantly headlined by the shock factor of a team that was expected to disappoint its fans — not one that had a 77% win rate in January, as well as a +16 goal differential. Now, with a revamped set of wingers and an even tougher division to traverse, Tocchet hopes the team will “embrace the hard” and push themselves to be the best that they can and will be. Even if the obstacles are tough, the team needs to adapt to be tougher than the obstacles that they face.
The same sentiment could be shared for Tocchet’s quest for his second Jack Adams Award. An elusive award that scarcely sees repeat winners and only one back-to-back winner in Jacques Demers, the odds for Tocchet to claim the Jack Adams for a second year are not in his favour. As of September 8th, DraftKings has eyes on Sheldon Keefe of the New Jersey Devils (+600), Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators (+700), and Craig Berube of the Toronto Maple Leafs (+850) as candidates to take home the title of ‘coach of the year.’ Tocchet, on the other hand, sits at the bottom of the list at +5000, with the same odds as Ryan Warsofsky of the San Jose Sharks and Ryan Huska of the Calgary Flames. While much of this is likely characterized by the fact that Tocchet won last year, it’s surprising to see him lumped in with teams that aren’t expected to be overly competitive this season. But, as the head coach continues to teach, playing in the NHL isn’t supposed to be easy — it’s time for them to adapt to the difficulties and learn to accept them in order to grow.
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So, how can Tocchet adapt to continue his contention for the Jack Adams award? It’s easy to say he could continue doing what he’s doing, as we’ve seen the high success rate that he’s already produced, but that would be going against the very mantra that the head coach has been spreading. Moreover, we can’t expect the same pattern of coaching or training given that a good chunk of the Canucks’ organization has shifted since this time last year. Gone are impactful mid-season acquisitions Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm, both of whom have since shipped up to Boston. In their places are a plethora of wings whose spots in the lineup have yet to be determined. New offensively-driven goalscorers Jake DeBrusk and Daniel Sprong could see a slight decrease in goals-for in order to suppress more goals-against, especially if either are paired up with the shutdown duo of J.T. Miller and Boeser. Big back-end defenders like Vincent Desharnais and Derek Forbort will need to adjust their mobility in order to fit in with the Canucks’ high-scoring defensive core. The ability to keep the puck moving at all times has been a driving force in offence from the defence, and maintaining that success will be key to the team’s progress.
Alongside the roster additions and subtractions, we’ve also seen some familiar faces make a return to Vancouver to assist Tocchet in his quest for success. Players developing in Abbotsford will now grow under the watchful eye of former Canuck Manny Malhotra, representing a change in budding prospects that will no doubt alter the way that Tocchet approaches injuries and call-ups. He’ll be the one to prepare young stars like goal-scoring forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defenceman Elias Pettersson for the big leagues, starting with basics that will eventually bloom into important skills. Goaltending will now be in the capable hands of Marko Torenius, who will handle day-to-day goalie coaching duties now that Ian Clark has shifted to the role of a goaltending scout and development coach. While it’s still unclear what the Canucks’ crease will look like at the start of the season, these changes within the goaltending department are another adjustment that Vancouver has needed to make in order to roll with the tide.
While the Jack Adams is technically an individual award, hockey is still a team sport. Tocchet’s campaign for the title last season wouldn’t have gone the same if not for an incredible Norris-winning year from captain Quinn Hughes or Vezina-worthy performances from goaltender Thatcher Demko. For Tocchet to win again, the team will truly need to “embrace the hard.”
