Conor Garland of the Vancouver Canucks ‘Very Excited’ About New Head Coach Adam Foote…
The Vancouver Canucks recently promoted Adam Foote from assistant to head coach, a move that has received strong support from forward Conor Garland. Garland, fresh off winning gold with Team USA at the 2025 World Championship, expressed his enthusiasm about the change. “I’m really excited,” he said. “I loved working with him as an assistant. Things will obviously be a bit different now—probably not as much time for casual chats at the rink—but he was a great presence and very knowledgeable.”
Former Canucks head coach Bruce Boudreau, speaking on The Hockey News’ Big Show, noted that the shift from assistant to head coach can be challenging. “The head coach is like the father figure—the disciplinarian,” Boudreau explained. “Assistants are usually the ones players confide in. When that dynamic changes, suddenly you’re the guy who has to lay down the law.”
Though it’s relatively rare for assistants to be promoted to head coach within the same NHL team, Foote joins a growing list in the Pacific Division, following Ryan Huska (Calgary), Jim Hiller (Los Angeles), and Ryan Warsofsky (San Jose).
Garland admits he’ll miss the close rapport he had with Foote as an assistant but remains confident in his coaching ability. “I’ve always taken mental notes when he talks,” Garland said. “He knows what it takes to win, especially in the playoffs. I think he’s one of the sharpest minds when it comes to defensive play and overall game strategy.”
Under the previous head coach Bruce Boudreau, the Canucks had an expected goals share of 47.83% during 5-on-5 play. That figure improved to 50.58% during the 200 games led by Rick Tocchet and Foote, according to Natural Stat Trick. The penalty kill also saw a notable improvement—from 73.7% under Boudreau (31st in the NHL) to 80.3% under Tocchet and Foote, climbing to 82.6% in the 2024-25 season, ranking third-best league-wide.
A significant contributor to that penalty-kill success was veteran defenseman Derek Forbort, who joined the team last season on a one-year, $1.5 million deal. Choosing to forgo free agency, Forbort re-signed for another year at $2 million. His decision reflects a strong vote of confidence in Foote, especially considering their work together on the Canucks’ blueline.
As free agency approaches, it’s still uncertain whether forwards Pius Suter and Brock Boeser will re-sign or explore the open market. General manager Patrik Allvin and hockey operations president Jim Rutherford are expected to evaluate every move carefully, particularly with star defenseman Quinn Hughes entering the final two years of his contract. “If you’re going to move Quinn Hughes, you better be getting a whole team back,” Boudreau remarked. “He’s that valuable.”
To complete his staff, Foote appointed Kevin Dean—another former physical defenseman—to take over his previous role as defensive assistant. Dean, who won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995, has held assistant coaching positions with the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks, and also worked with Garland on Team USA under Warsofsky.
Foote also added Brett McLean and Scott Young as assistants. McLean previously led the AHL’s Iowa Wild and was an assistant with the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. His NHL playing career included 385 games and 162 points. Young, who was most recently Vancouver’s director of player personnel, brings championship pedigree, having won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins (1991) and Avalanche (1996) during a lengthy 1,181-game NHL career. He also served as Pittsburgh’s director of player development for five years.
Meanwhile, former special teams coach Yogi Svejkovsky has departed to join Tocchet in Philadelphia. Vancouver also said farewell to defensive development coach Sergei Gonchar and video coach Dylan Crawford. However, Henrik and Daniel Sedin will continue as player development coaches, and Marko Torenius will remain as the team’s goalie coach.
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