The Vancouver Canucks have another roadblock they need to clear if they wish to retain head coach Rick Tocchet.
According to a report from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, one of the things pulling Tocchet away from the Canucks is the team's lack of a dedicated practice facility. The Canucks are on the road for half their season, of course, but when they are home, it is Rogers Arena or bust.
That becomes a scheduling issue when account for concerts and other events. When the Canucks practice, they are potentially taking away from Vancouver's tourism. When the Canucks don't practice, they might not be as sharp as they need to be.
Based on this past season's results, a dedicated practice rink might help, but a resolution there is not immediately forthcoming.
In his latest episode of "32 Thoughts," Friedman explains why the practice rink ordeal might be a problem for Tocchet, and why finding a solution might be easier said than done.
"I was told no final decisions yet. I still don't think this is going to be a very long time," Friedman said of Tocchet and the Canucks. "The Canucks are the one team that doesn't have [a practice facility]. I understand one of the reasons [Jim Rutherford] talked about that is because Tocchet brought that up as a thing.
"I would understand that. I think if you're the one team that doesn't have one, and there are nights where your main rink is not available and you have to go into a public rink and it's a little bit different, I could see why that would drive a coach crazy. I heard those things were not a coincidence, that they didn't just come up out of nowhere. That was one thing Tocchet had brought up that bothered him a bit about the Vancouver situation."
Rutherford had claimed in his press conference last week that the facility would be completed, but had no concrete designs of any kind of timeline.
If the issue is a significant factor for Tocchet in choosing his next landing spot, Rutherford may need to come up with some answers sooner rather than later.