Vancouver Canucks fire coach Adam Foote
Moves are being made out west.
On Tuesday, Vancouver Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson announced that the team has fired head coach Adam Foote after just one season. He also noted that assistant coaches Kevin Dean, Scott Young and Brett McLean have also been let go.
General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that Head Coach Adam Foote and Assistant Coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean have been relieved of their duties.
The move comes after just one season at the helm for Foote. However, things didn’t go so well for the longtime NHL defenseman. In a clear rebuilding year, the Canucks were one of the worst teams in the league from the onset, and hung around the NHL’s basement for most of the year. Vancouver finished with a 25-49-8 record, with their 58 points placing them last in the league, 14 points clear of the Chicago Blackhawks, who finished 31st this year. It was the Canucks’ worst performance since the 1998-99 campaign, when the team won just 23 games and amassed a measly 58 points.
Many hoped that the abysmal season could lead to a promising future, but the Canucks failed to win the NHL Draft Lottery, falling to the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft.
In a statement, Johnson realized it was an uphill battle for Foote and his staff this year.
“That said, as we head into a rebuild, our group feels new coaching voices are needed to chart the path forward,” Johnson said. “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.”
Foote had been with the Canucks since the 2022-23 season, when he was hired as an assistant coach under then-bench boss Rick Tocchet. The group helped guide Vancouver to a strong 2023-24 season, winning the Pacific Division title and making it to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Things took a downturn the following year, with Tocchet moving on, with Foote stepping in as head coach for the trying campaign.
This is the first notable move by Johnson, who was officially hired last week, as the Hockey Hall of Famers Daniel and Henrik Sedin were promoted to co-presidents of hockey operations.