NHL insider brushes off rumors of Canucks HC Rick Tocchet leaving to coach Flyers after John Tortorella's firing

NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal dismissed the speculation that coach Rick Tocchet might leave Vancouver Canucks to take over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The rumors linking Tocchet to the Flyers surfaced after the team fired head coach John Tortorella on Thursday, with only nine games left in the season. Speaking on the "Donnie & Dhali" podcast, Dhaliwal tackled the buzz about Tocchet's future.

He clarified that Rick Tocchet hasn't made up his mind about leaving Vancouver—there's no decision yet—and claims that he's already on his way out aren't true as of now.

"I just want to make a few things clear. Tocchet has not decided he wants to leave Vancouver," Dhaliwal said. "There's been no decision made, and no truth to the rumors that he is leaving as of today. Mountain (Tocchet's agent) will be ready anytime if the Canucks were to call about Tocchet and extending."

The insider noted that the Canucks have treated Tocchet well, but if he hit the open market, plenty of teams would come calling.

"They have been good to him, but if he becomes available, there's going to be a lot of interest. There could be openings in Boston, the Rangers, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Anaheim—who knows?"

"I know everybody's going for the jugular today, saying Tocchet's gone, he's going to Philly. I just want to say that’s not 100% accurate as of today. Tocchet staying in Vancouver can be sorted out under the right circumstances," he added.

Tocchet is in the final year of his contract with the Vancouver Canucks. The club is eager to extend Tocchet's contract; he's reportedly more focused on the ongoing playoff push and has put off the talks for now.

Rick Tocchet reflects on Canucks ending two-game skid

On Wednesday, the Vancouver Canucks defeated the NY Islanders 5-2, putting an end to their two-game losing streak. The win was crucial for the Canucks as it helped them gain ground in the Western Conference's wild-card race.

Reflecting on the game, coach Rick Tocchet described it as a big win for the team and was very impressed with the goalie and how the team performed in the final period.

“It’s a big win for us,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said post-game. “Obviously, Demko was really good for us, especially in the first half of the game. I thought our third period was better.”

The Canucks are third in the wild-card standings with 80 points, trailing the second spot by five. They'll be up against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday.