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Surprising Update in Canucks Coaching Hunt Involving Adam Foote Emerges

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Daniel Lucente | Last updated May 13, 2025 2:50 PM ET

A new surprising update has emerged regarding Adam Foote and the Canucks head coaching job, and it appears he is very much in the mix as a finalist.

Patrik Allvin and Jim Rutherford are deep into their search for the Vancouver Canucks' new head coach.

Despite the relatively quiet process, there have been some high-end names floated out there: Manny Malhotra, Marco Sturm, and Adam Foote included.

Malhotra is wrapping up a strong first season as Abbotsford Canucks head coach, leading the team to a franchise-record mark.

Abbotsford finished with 92 points (44-24-4) two short of a division title and still in the Calder Cup Playoffs, where they are fighting the Colorado Eagles for a shot to the Western Conference Final.

Marco Sturm, meanwhile, has coached the past three seasons for the Ontario Reign, the AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings. He's posted a decent 119-80-17 mark with top-three finishes in the Pacific Division every year.

But the playoff experience this season was brief, as the Reign were swept by the San Jose Barracuda in the first round and scored once in two games.

Foote appeared to have fallen out of contention, which is not actually the case

Adam Foote's candidacy appeared to run out of steam at one point, but the most recent update from Thomas Drance and Rick Dhaliwal is that he remains a viable candidate for the position, a surprising twist as the search continues.

Although the full list of candidates has not yet been made public, it's emerging that the Canucks are leaning towards selecting someone with extensive AHL head coaching experience, something that all three candidates share.

This article first appeared on Hockey Latest and was syndicated with permission.

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