Foote called Hughes so much this summer that the Vancouver Canucks captain needed a break
You can’t blame Adam Foote for being ecstatic about entering his first season as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
“This city wants to win,” Foote told the media back in May. “Itās nothing but what we all want to do, so itās very exciting times for me.ā
However, as he embarks on his first pro head coaching journey, perhaps Foote was a little too excited during his offseason preparation.
Canucks captain Quinn Hughes spoke publicly for the first time since the season ended in April, revealing that he had to tell Foote to stop calling him for a couple of weeks.
āIf I didnāt tell him that, heād have been on the phone with me every four or five days,” Hughes said in an interview with Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.
Foote was promoted to head coach by the Canucks on May 14, just over two weeks after Rick Tocchet unexpectedly quit.
Shortly after becoming the 22nd head coach in Canucks history, Foote gathered a leadership core of Hughes, Thatcher Demko, and Elias Pettersson to meet in Detroit to play golf and talk about the team moving forward. Since then, Hughes mentioned that Foote has led Zoom meetings throughout the summer with the Canucks’ leadership group.
āHeās trying to make us a better team,” Hughes said. “Itās so hard to add pieces from the outside, so heās trying to empower everyone on the inside and make everyone inside better. He can teach us and bring us closer.”
This isn’t the first time this offseason that there’s been a story about Hughes not answering his phone when someone from the Canucks comes calling.
After the news of Tocchet’s departure broke, president Jim Rutherford held a press conference where he referenced Hughes not calling him back.
That may have been unsettling for Canucks fans after Rutherford discussed the potential departure of Hughes during last year’s end-of-season press conference. According to Rutherford, however, Hughes’ phone died while he was golfing.
At least with Foote, he was able to warn him that he wouldn’t be answering his phone.
Hughes has evolved under Foote
It’s not a huge shock that Hughes said last season that Foote was the best coach he’s ever had.
He spoke highly of Foote again to MacIntyre, saying:Ā āI had my two best years with Footy as my D-coach… Heās another guy thatās a great person and really cares about his players, very technical on the defensive side.”
Since Foote joined the Canucks back in January 2023, Hughes has levelled up, both defensively and offensively.
On offence, Hughes has registered 202 points in 186 games since Foote joined Vancouver. That’s good for 1.09 points per game, trailing only Cale Makar among defencemen. Prior to Foote’s hire, Hughes had registered 0.89 points per game.
Hughes also had just 26 goals during his first four seasons, but he’s netted 33 since the beginning of 2023-24.
However, Foote’s impact has really been seen on the defensive side. Despite taking on a ton of tough matchups, Hughes has excelled at even strength.
Over the last two seasons, Hughes has been on the ice for just 22.8 scoring chances against per-60, according to Natural Stat Trick. That’s the sixth-best mark among regular NHL defencemen, although the defenders above him are largely bottom-pairing guys who had easier matchups.
There’s a case that Hughes has been one of the NHL’s best defencemen under Foote’s tutelage.
Despite the tough matchups, Hughes has still been able to produce offensively, even with a lacklustre offence around him. Hughes has been on the ice for 3.41 goals-for per 60 at even strength, which is also the sixth-best mark among NHL defencemen.