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‘It’s always been here. We get off a little bit and get pissy and get defeated and then the frustration comes in.’ — Canucks head coach Adam Foote.
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Published Jan 20, 2026 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 4 minute read
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Canucks head coach Adam Foote has the tough task of teaching and keeping his struggling last-place club focused during 11-game losing streak. Photo by David Zalubowski /APArticle content
Winning solves everything. Losing exposes the ugly things.
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J.T. Miller’s stick slams of frustration and booming F-bombs were often tolerated when he was at the top of his game, the Vancouver Canucks were having their way, and he wasn’t giving the puck away.
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However, when you’re a loss away from 12 straight setbacks to set the franchise record for futility, it’s going to create cracks in the foundation of form and function.
Head coach Adam Foote has praised his leadership group during a torturous season of too many injuries, not enough offence, lack of defensive structure and cohesiveness that has prompted a roster rebuild. He has found smouldering embers of hope amid the continuous fire of inconsistency that continues to envelop his club.
After all, the kids have been tossed into the deep end of the competitive pool and even the veterans are often treading water. It’s what you do to retain some grip on a demoralizing season that has slipped away.
However, the message changed Monday night.
Whether it was pure frustration following a 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders, a wake-up call to his veterans, or a directive to management that there’s something seriously amiss with this group to trigger more trades, it wasn’t really what Foote said. It’s how the hockey operations department and players will react.
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General manager Patrik Allvin stated Monday morning that the club needs a veteran component to guide young players — especially promising defencemen Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini — and that could play into keeping a culture carrier like Conor Garland instead of moving him.
However, Allvin is listening because suitors are knocking on the door, and six years is a long commitment to any player. Even one as admired as Garland.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have good veteran players here and good people to teach our young guys with a lot of changes,” said Allvin. “But we need to be better and win games. If (a trade) makes sense for us long term, we’ll definitely look into it.”
Assistant coach Adam Foote and bench boss Rick Tocchet worked to reduce suspect play and inconsistency. It wasn’t easy. Photo by David Zalubowski /AP
As for Foote, the optics of an uncertain future are fuzzy.
He is also in focus as a rookie NHL bench boss who hasn’t got enough out of his club, whether that’s instruction or performance or an injury-riddled roster, it comes with the territory. He knows that. It’s why his criticisms were pointed, and reflect a concern about triggers that do more to inspire the opposition than help young and impressionable players.
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“I’ve been watching this for too long — we’ve got to stop burning ourselves by getting frustrated,” Foote stressed about the constant and critical mistakes. “The plan is working. It’s our vets. They’ve got to hang in there. We talk about it over and over. We’ve been very resilient all year and then injuries keep coming here and there.”
However, this is nothing new or only connected to the present, according to Foote. It has been a problem that has plagued the club for years and it’s not getting better.
“Even without this season, I really found with the group, and even guys who aren’t here anymore, when it didn’t go their way, they over-created or their frustration came in play,” added Foote. “Bad changes or slam the gate and other teams are pretty bright. They can see that. You give them juice and you give them energy.
“If you have a bad change, our group has to defend and they don’t have the juice coming off it and it all snowballs. We didn’t do it at the start of the season, but it’s lingering back and we’ve got to stop it. We can’t do this to ourselves. It’s always been here.”
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Foote saw the future here before he joined Rick Tocchet and the challenge to right the wrongs.
“When I came here and watched 10 games before I took the (assistant) job with Rick, we could see it clear as day,” recalled Foote. “We worked on it for a long time and we almost got it out completely, but it’s still there. We have to be logical about this. You have to play the odds on a play and there’s lots of hockey left.
“We get off a little bit and get pissy and get defeated and then the frustration comes in. The league is too good. They take advantage and we do a good job of clawing back, but have to get it out and be consistent in our play. Every day is different. Sometimes, (players) don’t need a kick and maybe a little bit of love.
“If they understand the contract and what they have agreed to, then the accountability can become more firm. We’re at a point now where what’s going to happen to us next with Demmer (Thatcher Demko) going down? I get it. It’s crazy.
“But if a call doesn’t come our way, or we have one bad shift, or they get the first goal, we can’t go rogue and get that defeated feeling. That lingers. If they want to win, they’ve got to get it out, and it starts with our vets.”
The buy-in is critical and the tune-out can be inevitable for any coach. And if that’s the case here, then there’s a bigger problem.
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