‘Could be people in Russia in a basement having cigarettes and cashews’: Canucks’ Foote on distrusting analytics
Adam Foote isn’t much for numbers.
The Vancouver Canucks’ head coach spoke with reporters on Monday, discussing the team’s early-season struggles, which includes a 5-2 defeat against the Calgary Flames on Sunday that gives the Canucks six losses in their last eight games.
Foote said he’s not going to focus too much on the analytical side when it comes to evaluating his players.
“There’s a ton of things I’m real happy about, but I’m more happy with wins,” Foote said. “I’m not going to blow up a kid or something being overanalyzed by, no disrespect, people that really don’t know.
here’s the Adam Foote clip about cigarettes and cashews pic.twitter.com/IpTZbcW55b
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) November 24, 2025
“They’re just looking at numbers from people that could be in Russia in a basement, having cigarettes and cashews, telling them they’re scoring chances,” Foote added. “So we’re going to depend on our guys, and really recognize what we believe has to be fixed and what doesn’t.”
The Canucks are 9-12-2 with 20 points through their first 23 games of the 2025-26 regular season, which puts them seventh in the Pacific Division.
Quinn Hughes leads the team in assists and points with 19 and 21, respectively, while Kiefer Sherwood has the most goals with 12. Elias Pettersson has seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points, while Brock Boeser, who signed a seven-year contract to stay with Vancouver in the offseason, has eight goals and six assists for 14 points.
In net, Thatcher Demo is 5-4-0 with a .903 save percentage and 2.80 goals against average in 10 appearances. Meanwhile, Kevin Lankinen is 4-7-2 with an .880 SV% and 3.63 GAA in 13 games.
The Canucks are in California as they prepare for a three-game road trip, starting Wednesday when they face the Anaheim Ducks, then they will close out with games against the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings on Friday and Saturday, respectively.