Former Vancouver Canucks Coach Sergei Gonchar Opens Up on Team's Struggles Last Season
Photo credit: NHL
Former Vancouver Canucks coach Sergei Gonchar recently opened up about the struggles and drama the team faced throughout the 2024-25 campaign.
After missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, the Vancouver Canucks made some changes behind the bench, promoting Adam Foote to the role of Head Coach, while Rick Tocchet departed the club to take on the same role but with one of his former clubs, the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Canucks also brought in three new Assistant Coaches to round out Foote's staff - Kevin Dean, Brett McLean and Scott Young, with Yogi Svejkovsky, video coach Dylan Crawford and development coach Sergei Gonchar all leaving the organization this summer.
During a recent interview with Daria Tuboltseva of RG Media, Gonchar spoke about his two-and-a-half year tenure with the Vancouver Canucks organization and the struggles the team faced last season.
Sergei Gonchar opens up on team's struggles and drama they faced last season
12 months after winning the Pacific Division title, the Vancouver Canucks ended up missing out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, sitting six points back of the St. Louis Blues for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
The team was inconsistent all season long, but also faced a number of injuries to star players such as Quinn Hughes, Thatcher Demko and even Elias Pettersson towards the end of the campaign, but according to Gonchar, the whole feud between the aforementioned Pettersson & J.T. Miller, followed by the build up to the latter being dealt to the New York Rangers played a big role in their lack of success.
"I think the big factor was the whole trade situation. There was a long buildup, lots of uncertainty, and everyone lived with that question hanging over the season. That had a huge impact on the team. Not even the trade itself, but the preparation for it. When these things drag on, of course it affects the group. Miller is a top-level player; you don't just trade someone like that without getting equal value. For the GM, making that call wasn't easy, and it took time." Gonchar said.
As mentioned, the feud between the two players ended when Patrik Allvin dealt J.T. Miller to The Big Apple for a package that included Filip Chytil, Victor Mancini and a first round pick that was flipped to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Marcus Pettersson trade.
With last season now behind them, the Canucks are hoping that it'll be a fresh start for everyone on their roster and that they can push towards a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs next April.
Source: RG.org/Daria Tuboltseva
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
Sergei Gonchar Opens up on Coaching Future, Canucks Exit, And NHL Stars
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