Ice Hockey
BREAKING
Vancouver Canucks fire head coach Adam Foote as rebuild begins
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After one of the worst seasons in franchise history, the Vancouver Canucks have continued to make changes throughout the organization. New general manager Ryan Johnson has announced that the Canucks have fired head coach Adam Foote after one season.
In addition to Foote, the team has also let go of assistant coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean, and Brett McLean.
“It was a challenging year on several fronts and truthfully, Adam and his staff were dealt a very difficult hand,” Johnson said in a statement. “That said, as we head into a rebuild, our group feels new coaching voices are needed to chart the path forward. Establishing the proper environment and culture is a vital first step in creating a solid and authentic connection throughout the entire organization.
“At the start of next season, our coaches will need to do a lot of work with our players, to instill in them the traits and habits they will rely on moving forward. The process to bring in a new staff begins immediately.”
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Foote leaves Vancouver after a 25-49-8 season that saw the Canucks finish last in the NHL with 58 points. It marked a 32-point fall from the prior season under Rick Tocchet, and was 14 points lower than the 31st team in the NHL, Chicago.
Under Foote, the Canucks were tied for 30th in the NHL in goals at 210. They were also last in the league in goals against at 314. To add insult to injury, they were the only team to give up more than 300 goals last season.
With Foote now gone, the team is going to hire its 23rd coach since joining the league in 1970 and fourth since 2021.
As far as who that could be, the leading name internally is former Canucks forward and current Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.
Malhotra has been behind the bench in Abbotsford for the last two seasons, winning a Calder Cup Championship in the AHL in his first year. He also has experience as a coach at the NHL level, serving as an assistant for seven seasons with both Vancouver and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Should Malhotra be hired, he would rejoin not only Johnson, who was Abbotsford’s GM before taking the Canucks job. There are also several former Abbotsford Canucks players who will be on the Vancouver roster next season, including those who won the Calder Cup with Malhotra in 2024, like Linus Karlsson and Arshdeep Bains.
The Canucks also have the third overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, a pick that some are mocking Malholtra's son, Caleb, to.
