Adam Foote, Canucks Agree to Contract as New HC After Rick Tocchet Exit
Adam Foote will be tasked with leading the Vancouver Canucks back into playoff contention after a tumultuous 2024-25 season.
Foote was promoted to head coach on Wednesday after two years as an assistant under Rick Tocchet.
Earlier this offseason, the Canucks declined a one-year option on Tocchet's contract in hopes of signing him to a longer-term deal, president hockey of operations Jim Rutherford told reporters prior to Tocchet's exit.
Tocchet elected to leave the Canucks in April, saying in a statement he felt "like this is the right time for me to explore other opportunities in and around hockey."
Tocchet originally joined the Canucks as a replacement for Bruce Boudreau midway through the 2022-23 season.
In his first full season with the franchise, Tocchet led the Canucks to a 50-win season and the second round of the playoffs. Vancouver was eliminated after a seven-game battle with the Edmonton Oilers.
The Canucks went into this season hopeful of making a deeper run behind three 30-goal scorers, the reigning Norris Trophy winner and a Vezina Trophy runner-up.
But players like goaltender Thatcher Demko and center Elias Pettersson saw their play decline in 2024-25, while a split with J.T. Miller led to media scrutiny and ultimately a deadline trade. The Canucks ultimately finished the season six points back of a wild-card spot.
The Canucks' future hinges in large part on captain Quinn Hughes, who was once again named a finalist for the Norris Trophy this spring. The star defenseman is currently signed through 2027 but will be eligible to sign an extension in summer 2026.
To convince Hughes to stay in Vancouver, the Canucks will look to return to playoff contention as soon as possible. Foote will now be tasked with helping the Canucks retool into a competitive team while helping key players like Demko and Pettersson bounce back next fall.
Foote, who won two Stanley Cups as a player with the Colorado Avalanche, retired from his skating career in 2011. His pro coaching career began when the Canucks hired him midway through the 2022-23 season.
