Analyzing Adam Foote's tenure as Vancouver Canucks coach so far
It’s probably not the start that Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote envisioned.
The Canucks are now past the quarter pole of the 2025-26 NHL season. So far, their performance has been defined by a plethora of injuries and a shocking decline on the defensive side of the puck.
Vancouver has five regulation wins through their first 21 games. Their .474 points percentage sits 27th overall in the NHL.
How much of that falls on Foote, one of nine new bench bosses in the NHL this season?
Canucks defence has cratered
After being hired as an assistant coach for the Canucks, Foote was instrumental in helping this defence morph from a weakness to a strength.
Just 21 games into the season, the Canucks defence looks like a shell of its former self.
After Monday night’s 8-5 loss to the Florida Panthers, the Canucks are near the bottom of the league in a number of key categories.
Foote’s team has allowed the third-most expected goals against per 60 at 5-on-5 in the entire NHL. They’ve allowed the second-most high-danger chances against per 60 at 5-on-5 as well.
Their goaltending performances from Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen have actually masked how bad the defence has been, as their 5-on-5 save percentage combined is among the top 10 in the NHL.
So, what gives?
Foote talked in training camp about wanting his defencemen to be more aggressive in joining the rush. He also preached adaptability.
āWe want to be able to adapt against our opponents,ā Foote told the media back in September. āI canāt sit here and say weāre going to be a rush team or be a dump and chase team. Weāre going to be a team that adapts to our opponents, make them feel uncomfortable.ā
āWeāre not going to get caught in playing one way. Itās not the way I want to play.ā
It’s fair to wonder if the Canucks tweaks to their structure have caused some confusion among players.
What’s blatantly clear is that Vancouver is allowing way more east-west passes in their own zone than they ever did under Tocchet.
The former Canucks coach often talked about defending the “home plate” area of the ice, something that this team under Foote hasn’t been able to do this season.
Hallsy gets himself a birthday goal! pic.twitter.com/P55ADjE3jQ
— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) November 15, 2025
The same issue has also been abundantly clear on the penalty kill. Vancouver boasted the third-best penalty kill in the NHL last season. This year, they rank dead-last in the league, killing just 67.1 per cent of penalties.
Tocchet’s Philadelphia Flyers, by the way, have the third-best penalty kill in the NHL this season.
In fairness to Foote, implementing a new system with limited practice time and several bodies coming in and out of the lineup is a challenging task. That’s especially true for a first-time pro hockey head coach.
What about the offence?
Surprisingly, the Canucks offence is less of an issue than the defence.
They’re still not getting enough shots on net, but the early results are still slightly better than last season.
The Canucks rank 21st in terms of expected goals for at even-strength this season, which is quietly impressive considering that they don’t have a credible second-line centre to help drive play.
Back in September, Foote offered some ideas about how the Canucks could generate more offence this season.
āWe are a great defending team, but I think we get back quicker with numbers where we can strike and get better at striking faster,” Foote told the media.
Foote has dealt with some challenges early in his Canucks head coaching tenure. (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
The Canucks have shown an ability to score quickly in certain situations, but they’re still far too passive in situations when the game is tied.
This season, they have a 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage of 36.7 per cent in tied situations. The next closest team is the Anaheim Ducks at 42.9 per cent.
Vancouver’s sporadic offence has been propped up by a strong power play, which ranks ninth in the NHL at 23.5 per cent. They’ve also created the seventh most expected goals per 60 at 5-on-4 as well.
Foote’s optimistic approach
When Tocchet was head coach of the Canucks, he often didn’t mince words when speaking to the media about his team.
Last season, he told the media that he was disappointed with his team after a January loss to the Edmonton Oilers. There was another situation where he called out his own coaching, blaming the fact that he didn’t have the team playing hard enough.
Foote hasn’t taken the same approach so far with the Canucks.
After losses, he’s pointed to the fact that his team thoroughly outplayed the opposition. He often chalks up losses to fatigue. Foote has also mentioned numerous times that his team was “right there” and that a couple of mistakes cost the Canucks.
There’s clearly been a steadfast disapproval of calling out his team publicly, unlike his predecessor.
It’s hard to blame Foote for not expressing tough love with his team publicly, following last year’s drama-filled circus.
But, you do wonder if his public attitude will change if his team continues to toil near the bottom of the standings.