If The Vancouver Canucks Hire Jay Woodcroft, I Give You All Permission To Find a New Team

Let me be clear to start; I, for one, have not been quiet, both online and in person, about my dislike for the Vancouver Canucks organization. My issues with this team have typically not been player-related; my problems have been with management and ownership, specifically with how they treat people and always seem to find a way to start some type of drama.

Once again, that incompetence came to a head over the last week when Rick Tocchet, last season's Jack Adams award winner for coach of the year, decided to part ways with the organization after a contract dispute, which, in my opinion, is a move that could set the franchise back years.

While I have spent years critiquing almost anything the Canucks have done, I spent almost all of last year stating that Tocchet was a top-three coach in the NHL, and he was the main reason why the Canucks went from a laughingstock to a serious Cup contender throughout most of the 2023-24 season.

And now? They’ve let him walk over contract drama. The players didn't want a new voice; he hadn't lost the locker room, and your franchise player Quinn Hughes stated on multiple occasions he desperately wanted Tocchet back behind the bench for the foreseeable future.

Simply embarrassing.

Aside from money, Tocchet also decided to leave because he simply didn't believe in the direction of the franchise moving forward and wanted to look for a better situation which is understandable.

With Tocchet gone, the Canucks have begun a search for their fourth head coach in four years, and one of the favorites for the job appears to be former Edmonton Oilers head coach, Jay Woodcroft.

If Woodcroft ends up getting the job, to me, this is another unserious move by an unserious franchise, and you may as well start packing Quinn Hughes's bags for New Jersey because that is telling your franchise player you are not serious about winning.

Let's face it: Jay Woodcroft had one job in Edmonton. Don't screw up the Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid era, yet he somehow almost did. The Oilers had a roster that most coaches would kill for. But somehow, with a team that possibly featured the two best players in hockey, they started the 2023–24 season 3–9–1, which ultimately led to Woodcroft being fired. After he left, the Oilers became one of the best teams in hockey and came within one victory of winning the Stanley Cup.

To me, hiring Woodcroft wouldn't just be a mistake; it would be a disaster. This possible decision sends a message to players and fans that the decision-makers are not at all on the same page. Sure, then and now, they may stumble into something that works (like hiring Tocchet), but in no way do they know how to develop sustained success.

When Tocchet took over, he gave the Canucks a real identity for the first time in a decade. He got buy-in from the entire organization, and you could tell almost right away.

Even in a disastrous year like we saw this past season, the team still played for him, and in a year where everything went wrong, they were still within striking distance of a playoff spot. Tocchet elevated players such as Hughes and Brock Boeser to another level, and rather than building on that foundation, management couldn't get a deal done.

If Jay Woodcroft is the guy who ends up getting this job, it’s time to have a serious conversation about if this franchise actually cares about winning, or do they only care about counting dollars.