Elliotte Friedman speculates "ultimate reason" behind Canucks hiring Adam Foote over Manny Malhotra after Rick Tocchet's departure

With the Vancouver Canucks hiring Adam Foote as their new head coach instead of Abbotsford Canucks coach Manny Malhotra, NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman speculated on the reason behind it.

Adam Foote took over following Rick Tocchet’s exit in late April. While many expected Manny Malhotra to get the nod—especially after he led the Canucks’ AHL team to the Calder Cup Final. However, the team instead turned to Foote, who had served as an assistant coach for the past three seasons.

On the Donnie & Dhali podcast, Friedman suggested that player relationships likely factored heavily into the decision.

"One of the biggest things the Canucks had to do was, you can't always make your players happy, but this was a situation where the Canucks knew after the year they had last year, they had to do something with this hire that the players were at least comfortable with," Friedman explained.

He noted that many of Vancouver's key veteran defensemen are fond of Foote from his time as an assistant. Providing a sense of continuity and comfort was crucial after the letdown of missing the playoffs.

"The comfort level with Adam Foote and the fact that they knew they needed somebody the players, the key players, would be okay with after the year you had last year — that was the number one thing that was in favor of Adam Foote," Friedman said.

After a disappointing 2024-25 season that saw the Canucks finish six points off a playoff spot one year removed from winning the Pacific Division, improving locker room morale was the priority per Friedman.

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Adam Foote to change the Canucks' power play style

The Vancouver Canucks' power play struggled last season, finishing middle of the pack at just 22.5%. Adam Foote has made it clear he wants a more aggressive power play, focused on shooting and attacking rather than relying on set plays.

On Sportsnet 650’s Halford & Brough, Foote said:

“You have to attack. Every time you do too many set plays it slows it down. For me, I’m a shot guy. When I got a shot from the top coming at me early in the power play, I don’t like it as a defenceman, because now I have to trust my forwards are in the right lane and I can’t be as aggressive.”

Foote also highlighted new assistant coach Brett McLean’s track record of boosting the power play in Minnesota and saw his addition to the Canucks' staff as an encouraging development.