In a somewhat surprising move, the Arizona Coyotes have parted ways with Head Coach Rick Tocchet after four seasons. The firing marks the end of a bumpy tenure with the team, featuring various highs and lows, and a largely mediocre showing, despite some of the talent brought in by former General Manager John Chayka. It also marked the official end of the not-so-great Chayka legacy, and will give General Manager Bill Armstrong, who has been in charge since September 16, 2020, a chance to hand pick the next coach for the Coyotes.
Rick Tocchet took over head coaching responsibilities ahead of the 2017/2018 season to replace Dave Tippett. In Tocchet’s first season as head coach, the Coyotes were slow out of the gates, and didn’t get their first win until the end of November, a full month into the season. The Coyotes played much better down the final stretch of the season, but it was too late for them to make the playoffs as they were already holding the last place spot in the NHL by February. The Coyotes had a hot and cold 2018/2019 season that ultimately resulted in the team finishing in fourth place in the Pacific Division, and missing the playoffs again. The Coyotes made great strides in the 2019/2020 season, as Tocchet had the team sitting in first place in the Pacific Division on January 1, 2020 and was selected as coach for the Pacific Division all-star team, but the team faltered in February and was dangerously close to missing the playoffs again, and in March the season was put on hold due to the dramatic rise in Covid-19 cases that caused much of the country to shutdown. The Coyotes would, however, qualify for the NHL bubble when the season returned. They would advance into the playoffs after beating the Nashville Predators in the qualifying tournament, but would lose to the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs. It was the first playoff appearance for the Coyotes under the leadership of Rick Tocchet and the first playoff appearance for the team since the 2011/2012 season. The condensed 2020/2021 56 game season was shaky for Tocchet and the Coyotes as they finished 5th in the realigned NHL West Division and missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. Tocchet finished his tenure with the Coyotes posting a 125-131-34 record in his four seasons with the team.
The timing of the termination seemed odd, given the difficult pandemic-related conditions that Tocchet had to deal with both last year and this year, and may have been a factor into some of the sloppy performances on the ice. Those conditions were sufficient enough for me to cut him some slack, but the team obviously felt otherwise. Though it is less surprising when you consider the mediocre results, combined with the new GM Bill Armstrong’s desire to hire his own coach. Tocchet’s firing led to the second head coaching vacancy in the NHL after the Columbus Blue Jackets parted ways with their coach John Tortorella.
The future for Rick Tocchet is uncertain. A possible destination could be the Seattle Kraken NHL expansion team set to play their inaugural season in 2021/2022. Though the Kraken have set their eyes on Oilers Head Coach Dave Tippitt, it’s possible Tocchet will join as an assistant coach.
