Donnie & Dhali: Don Taylor and Rick Dhaliwal discussing what it might take for the Vancouver Canucks to extend head coach Rick Tocchet. The Canucks hold a team option on Tocchet.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Taylor: “Rick Tocchet right now, his current contract pays him $2.75 million a season. I’ve got him as the 10th highest paid coach in the National Hockey League. What is he looking for?”
Dhaliwal: “I think he’s looking for over four, Don. I think he’s looking to be in the upper echelon. You mentioned top 10, maybe sneak into the top five. They did talk contract on the weekend. No extension yet. They will continue to work at it. As of now, there’s work to do.
Don’t you think, Don in a perfect world, wouldn’t it have been great to come in right at 10 o’clock (Monday) and announce an extension for Tocchet? I think there’s some work to do. I’m not saying it’s not going to happen. They could close the gap today, tomorrow, maybe Wednesday. But right now, there’s some work to do on a Tocchet extension.
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They talked on the weekend, but he’s going to have to be a number, I believe, over four. If they can get over four, four and a half, I don’t know. Maybe they kind of, maybe they get it done, Don.”
Taylor: “Here are the coaches in and around $4 million. Paul Maurice won a Stanley Cup last year with the Florida Panthers of $3.9 million. Pete DeBoer of the Dallas Stars, hasn’t got a Cup, I think I’m right on that, $4.25 million per. Bruce Cassidy, Vegas Stanley Cup winner, $4.5. Jared Bednar and Peter Laviolette, both Stanley Cup winners, although Laviolette was with the Hurricanes, and not the Rangers, Bednar with the Avalanche, both $4.9 million. So in and around there for Rick Tocchet. Does that sound fair?”
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, it does sound fair. I think, I think the magic number is four. I don’t think in the threes is going to get it done. I’d be surprised if a number in the threes got it done, Don. but I wouldn’t be surprised if a number in the fours got it done.”
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