Adam Foote gives thoughts on Cootes, Mancini, and more after Canucks’ loss to Kraken

Adam Foote’s first game as Vancouver Canucks head coach is in the books! And because it was a loss, we’re here to remind you it doesn’t count and that Foote still has a perfect coaching record.

Yes, the Canucks fell to the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night in their first game of the 2025 NHL preseason. Despite the 5-3 scoreline, the Canucks’ battle level was admirable given the experience disparity between the two teams’ rosters. While the Canucks sent a young roster with five — maybe six — NHLers, the Kraken had 9-10 of their NHL regulars in their lineup, including starting netminder Joey Daccord.

The Canucks were in this game early thanks almost entirely to Nikita Tolopilo, the 25-year-old netminder who is set to be “the guy” in Abbotsford this season following the offseason trade of Arturs Silovs.

“We saw some things, especially the second half of the game, where we kind of had to get into the game. Tolo, I liked how he played. He kept us in there early,” Foote said post game. “You come in, you play, and we were a little inexperienced on the back end, but they hung in there and did well. They adapted as the game went, but Tolo did a good job until our D felt a little bit more comfortable. So I’m pretty happy with that performance.”

Foote also had good things to say about 2025 first round pick Braeden Cootes, who managed to springboard a standout training camp performance into a successful NHL preseason debut.

“He’s just smart. He’s reliable. For a young kid, his hockey IQ is very high, and he’s able to adapt in these games. I like the way he hung in there when things probably weren’t going our way. He played above pucks, made good decisions with the puck, and it’s nice to see he’s calm at such a young age.”

Foote spoke positively about Cootes’s linemate Kiefer Sherwood, whom Cootes name-dropped as someone showing him the ropes during his first NHL training camp.

“He plays hard. He leads by example for sure. He’s always giving you 100%. It was nice for Cootes to have him in camp. When he’s [Sherwood] going out here the way he’s playing, forechecking hard, there’s less people paying attention to Cootes. So you know, they’ve done it all together, and we’ll see what happens.”

Moving to the defence, Foote spoke about Victor Mancini, who played well on Sunday night and was rewarded with a goal.

“He’s powerful. He came into camp in really good shape. You saw the power, and he got excited once the one goal came and sometimes… I wouldn’t say do too much, I like the way he had the juices going, the energy — a lot of good things — but we’ll have to calm some of it down in the neutral zone. But the beauty is he’s just got the power, and he’s pushing hard.”