The Vancouver Canucks had a very good 2023-2024 season, coming up one game shy of the Western Conference Final while losing Thatcher Demko and Brock Boeser during the playoff run, but head coach Rick Tocchet has made it clear that it will not get any easier this season.

“Embrace the hard,” Rick Tocchet said when floating motto ideas for this season, via Ian MacIntyre. “Embrace hard, I don't know. Hard is good? … Whatever it is… like, I don't believe in ‘Hey, you work hard today, it'll be easier tomorrow.' It's always going to be hard. That's just the way it is, so why not condition your mind? I talked to the players after a game in the playoffs. You know, you're limping, you've got an ice pack (after winning). That's the best feeling in the world. But it's not going to get easier tomorrow. It's going to be even harder. That's the way I look at this season.”

The Canucks were a surprise team last season, but they will not be a surprise to anyone this season. After many seasons of acquiring young talent, the expectation is now for Vancouver to compete for a Stanley Cup. Tocchet has the same standard.

Rick Tocchet, Canucks have eyes on Stanley Cup

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When speaking on last season's result, Tocchet called it a “half-decent result,” indicating that expectations are much higher this season, according to MacIntyre.

“It'll be a signage around the room and stuff,” Tocchet said, via MacIntyre. “We'll probably do T-shirts. I've got a couple of ideas with hats and stuff. I don't know, we're kicking these ideas around. But I like visuals. I like stuff on a T-shirt or hat. I think when a guy puts it on… there's a pride factor. … We made strides (last season). Let's face facts; we made strides. But if we only do the same thing we did last year, we're going to get the same result. So our expectations have to be higher, and we have to embrace that it's going to be harder.”

It will be interesting to see how the Canucks follow up on last season's success. There is a lot of talent on the team, but they will have to contend with other talented teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference.

Tocchet is going to ask a lot out of his team, because that is what it will take to win.