NHL Rumor: Insiders claim Canucks assistant coach Adam Foote 'still in mix' to replace Ex-HC Rick Tocchet

The Vancouver Canucks lost Rick Tocchet, but they might have a chance to land Adam Foote to take his place. Foote was Tocchet's bench coach for a long time, but his contract ran out.

He was cleared to speak with other teams about their head coaching vacancies when that happened. Several other teams are looking for a new coach, too, and Foote seems to be highly sought-after. He's not out of the question to return to and take over the Canucks, though.

NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal said:

"Thomas Drance and I both reporting, Adam Foote is still very much in the mix in the Canucks head coaching job [search]."

Furthermore, as per the insider, Canucks' head coaching job is coming down to Adam Foote or Manny Malhtora.

Foote got hired by Vancouver midway through the 2022-23 season with Tocchet. It came after the firing of Bruce Boudreau and assistant Trent Cull.

The next year, Foote and Tocchet combined to lead Vancouver to the first Pacific Division title and first playoff appearance in four seasons. They took the Edmonton Oilers, the eventual Western Conference champions, to seven games in round two before they lost.

Then, in 2024-25, Vancouver took a big step back and missed the playoffs. Tocchet decided not to accept an offer, and Foote remains a free agent. The New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Seattle Kraken also need head coaches.The Anaheim Ducks filled their vacancy already.

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Former Canucks coach Rick Tocchet's landing spots revealed

The Vancouver Canucks offered Rick Tocchet a new contract that would've made him one of the highest-paid coaches in the NHL. He turned it down and became a free agent instead.

Now, it appears he's pretty interesting to teams in need of a head coach. Darren Dreger of TSN reported that Tocchet is a strong candidate for the Philadelphia Flyers, Boston Bruins and Seattle Kraken.

Rick Tocchet is a candidate for several jobs (Imagn)

Per Dreger, the Flyers remain the top contender and reportedly want to bring in a coach to replace John Tortorella after his failed tenure with the team.