Vancouver Canucks fire head coach Adam Foote, assistants after single season

VANCOUVER — Newly minted general manager Ryan Johnson wants a new voice to lead the Vancouver Canucks into their next era.

He may not need to look far for the NHL team’s new bench boss.

The Canucks fired head coach Adam Foote and assistant coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean on Tuesday after a single season on the job.

“This wasn’t an easy day. They’re great coaches, but great people. And I want to thank them personally,” said Johnson, who was elevated from general manager of the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks to Vancouver’s general manager on Thursday.

Over the weekend, he spoke with Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the team’s brand new co-presidents of hockey operations, and together the three former Canucks teammates decided a change had to be made.

“We just wanted a new voice and a new group to come in and start this next era of the franchise,” Johnson said. “It was less about what (Foote and the other coaches) did or didn’t do. I appreciate them as coaches and people. But this, again, like I said, is about moving forward in the future.”

It’s the latest shakeup for a Vancouver side that fired general manager Patrik Allvin in April after finishing the season last in the league with a 25-49-8 record. Weeks later, the president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, announced he would step down from his role.

Foote was named head coach on May 14, 2025, after Rick Tocchet announced he would not return to the Canucks. Tocchet was later named head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

The 54-year-old Foote had served a season and a half as an assistant coach under Tocchet, where he focused on the team’s defensive structure.

Vancouver’s defence struggled last season, allowing a league-high 3.83 goals against per game. The team also finished with the league’s worst home record (7-27-5) and fewest regulation wins (15).

Asked at the end of the season whether he was concerned about his future, Foote said it wasn’t on his mind.

“I don’t think about that. I think about the now. We’re playing hockey,” he said before his team’s final home game on April 14.

“That’s just noise that is not in my control. I control what I do here every day, and that’s how I played, that’s how I was raised, that’s how I come to work. So that kind of thing, I just kind of keep it away.”

Vancouver is now searching for its fifth head coach since December 2021.

Consistency, patience and the ability to connect with a young group will be critical for the new hire, Johnson said, and the coach needs to be committed to the rebuild the front office envisions.

“We have to make sure that we all have the same vision, that we’re going to stick to the teaching, the everyday, the work habits,” the GM said. “The 8 a.m.s, not the 7 p.m.s are more important, and when we can’t lose sight of that. But when you’ve got total commitment from everybody on board, good things start to happen very quickly.”

Exactly how wide the search will go remains to be seen, said Johnson. He said that Vancouver has a solid internal candidate in Manny Malhotra, head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks.

The 46-year-old former NHL centre guided Abbotsford to a Calder Cup championship in 2024-25.

“Manny has shown his ability to develop young players, to build a connection and, obviously, win a championship with a very young group,” Johnson said. “So I won’t be ignorant to the fact that I am going to speak with him, sit down with him, and talk about the future.”

Abbotsford struggled with injuries last season and ultimately missed the playoffs, but Johnson said the way Malhotra handled the situation showed exactly what kind of coach and person he is.

“To see that when you can rely on the foundation of the consistent environment and the coaching through the worst of times and really continue to propel players forward, even though the wins and losses aren’t there, it tells you a lot about him,” he said.

“That entire staff showed that they’re champions based off of not the year before, but of what they did last year, and what people around them took out of a pretty tough season.”

Vancouver could be competing for coaching candidates with the Toronto and Edmonton after the Maple Leafs axed Craig Berube and the Oilers turfed Kris Knoblauch in recent weeks.

Neither franchise has yet asked permission to speak with Malhotra, Johnson said.

“I have not heard from (another) team at this point,” he said. “Obviously where we are standing in our situation, I would certainly love the first conversation with him and intend to have that. But, no, I’ve not heard from anybody. And obviously it still is early as well.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 19, 2026.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press