Tocchet: 'I haven't been contacted by anybody' about head coaching jobs

Rick Tocchet insists he's not in as high demand as it might seem.

The Pittsburgh Penguins assistant coach is downplaying the notion that he's a candidate for one of the two vacant NHL head coaching positions.

"I'd love to have another kick at it, but honestly I haven't been contacted by anybody," Tocchet told NHL.com's Dan Rosen on Sunday. "I'm just focused on (the Stanley Cup Final). I have no idea what's going to happen at the end of the (season)."

The former NHL forward, ex-Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, and longtime assistant with several organizations believes he's only getting attention now because the Penguins have been so competitive.

"When you're a successful team and you win other teams like to look at the people in that organization," Tocchet said. "That's good. That's a good thing with being with Pittsburgh, you get looked at because we've won a lot of games the last couple of years. We've got a really good staff. Mike Sullivan is a great (head) coach. I've gone way back with him and that helps. But I don't know what's going to happen after the season."

The Buffalo Sabres and Florida Panthers are the only NHL clubs without a head coach at the moment.

Tocchet has been a Penguins assistant since June 2014.

He went 53-69-26 as head coach of the Lightning from 2008-10, and served as interim head coach of the then-Phoenix Coyotes for five games when Wayne Gretzky took a leave of absence in 2005.