Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote (Via Getty Images) The Vancouver Canucks are enduring a historically difficult campaign. Sitting at 18-32-6 through 56 games, they find themselves at the very bottom of the NHL standings, seven points adrift of even the next closest team. It has been especially brutal for Adam Foote.The Canucks head took over the role from Rick Tocchet Last May. But despite the ugly results and growing frustration among the fanbase, the organization appears to have drawn a clear line in the sand when it comes to the coaching question.
NHL analyst believes Canucks will give Adam Foote more time
Thomas Drance of The Athletic reported that the decision has effectively already been made internally. Foote will remain behind the Canucks bench for the rest of this season. “Based on what I’m hearing, the club sees no reason to consider an in-season change behind the bench,” Drance wrote. “Internally, the decision has effectively already been made. Foote will at least remain behind the Canucks bench to finish out this season.”The reporting aligns with what general manager Patrik Allvin has said publicly. Allvin expressed confidence in his coaching staff earlier this season and pointed to injuries as the primary driver of the team’s struggles rather than coaching performance.Drance painted a picture of a coach who has been dealt an impossible hand since day one. Foote was hired largely because of his strong relationship with captain Quinn Hughes, who has since been traded in a deal that reshaped the roster.”Sabotaged by a devastating run of injuries down the middle of his forward group, which caused his club to fall beneath a baseline level of functionality at centre, and battered by an endless cacophony of off-ice drama, Foote simply hasn’t had enough talent to lean on,” Drance wrote.CenterFilip Chytil has been out since October with a concussion. Teddy Blueger missed significant time with a lower-body injury. Marco Rossi, acquired in the Hughes trade, has also been sidelined for extended stretches.While Foote’s job is safe for now, the offseason promises to bring far more difficult conversations. Drance noted that evaluating Foote’s coaching performance will be a major part of a broader organizational review this summer.The reasons Foote was originally hired may no longer apply to where the franchise is headed. With Hughes gone and the team potentially entering a full rebuild, the Canucks will need to determine whether Foote is the right coach to lead a new direction or whether a fresh voice is needed behind the bench.