Vancouver Canucks Reportedly In the Mix to Have Former Stanley Cup Champion as Next Head Coach

Following the departure of Rick Tocchet earlier this week, the Vancouver Canucks are now on the look out for their fourth head coach in the next four years.

There certainly won't be a shortage of options for Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford to consider over the coming weeks, but there is one candidate with plenty of experience that the team could be eyeing up.

When speaking with reporters following the announcement that Rick Tocchet was leaving the organization to pursue a new opportunity, Vancouver Canucks President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford was asked about the possibility of Peter Laviolette being their next head coach.

Rutherford said that it's a good name for the team's coaching search and it's someone that he's really familiar with and likes as a person and as a coach.

Jim Rutherford and Peter Laviolette have a history as they spent parts of five seasons together as the General Manager and head coach, respectively, of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Rutherford had been with the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes organization for ten years before he brough in Peter Laviolette to be the team's next head coach.

Laviolette had plenty of success behind the bench in Carolina, leading them to their first, and so far only, Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2006 with the help of Jim Rutherford, who did a great job constructing that roster.

During the 2008-09 season, Rutherford fired Peter Laviolette who would go on to coach the Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and most recently, the New York Rangers who parted ways with him following two seasons behind the bench.

Along with Peter Laviolette, there's going to be several great candidates for Allvin and Rutherford to consider and it's going to be interesting to see who will become the 22nd head coach in Vancouver Canucks franchise history.