Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Canucks To Name Adam Foote Head Coach

at CDT | by 10 Comments

12:27 p.m.: Vancouver made Foote’s hiring official in short order. General manager Patrik Allvin had the following statement:

Adam is a strong leader, good teacher and person who knows what it takes to build a great culture and winning attitude. His past experiences on the ice have translated nicely into a coaching style that fits our organization’s goals and vision. He has worked extremely hard the past few years, gaining our players respect and trust for his strong communication and honest straight forward opinion. He knows this group better than anyone else we interviewed and has inside knowledge and understanding of what it will take to get us back to where we want to be. Adam brings structure, accountability, and a detailed oriented approach to his coaching, a process that will send a clear message to our group about the way we want to compete, practice, and play hockey. We are very happy to have him take over as the new Head Coach of the Vancouver Canucks.

11:50 a.m.: The Canucks will promote assistant coach Adam Foote to fill their head coaching vacancy, according to Darren Dreger of TSN. Foote’s deal will run for three seasons, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK.

Foote joined the Canucks’ bench midway through the 2022-23 season, hired alongside Rick Tocchet – the man he’s replacing as bench boss in Vancouver. It was his first NHL coaching job in a sparse staff resume since ending his playing career in 2011. Before being hired by Vancouver, Foote’s only behind-the-bench experience came with some of the Avalanche’s youth programs in 2014-15 and the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets from 2018 to 2020.

The 53-year-old Foote’s duties under Tocchet, who’s now landing a head coaching role with the Flyers, mainly revolved around team defense. Of course, Foote was a top-20 rearguard in his prime for the Avalanche around the turn of the century, routinely averaging upwards of 25 minutes per game and leveraging his 6’2″, 220-lb frame to be one of the league’s most effective two-way defenders. As for his success in Vancouver, the Canucks played an extremely low-event style this year – but it did yield above-average results defensively.

While Vancouver ranked 18th in the league with 3.06 goals against per game, other metrics were quite promising. Their 82.6 penalty kill percentage this year ranked third, and they also ranked in the top 10 in shots, shot attempts, expected goals, scoring chances, and high-danger chances against per game at 5-on-5.

Generating enough offense was the Canucks’ biggest issue last season, making a defense-focused hire in Foote an eye-opening decision at first glance. It seems they’ll do the heavy lifting to fix that problem later in the summer with player personnel changes, not coaching staff ones.

With the Canucks promoting Foote, four coaching vacancies remain ahead of the 2025-26 season: the Blackhawks, Bruins, Penguins, and Kraken.

Image courtesy of Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.

Jay Woodcroft Among Bruins’ Head Coaching Candidates

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Former Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft is among the possibilities to become the Bruins’ next head coach, according to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, who described him as a “leading candidate” for the vacancy on Wednesday’s Morning Cuppa Hockey podcast. Rick Tocchet also remained in consideration this morning, but he’s on the verge of being scooped up by the Flyers.

Aside from serving as an assistant coach for Canada at the 2024 World Championship, Woodcroft has been out of work since the Oilers fired him one month into the 2023-24 campaign. He held the Edmonton job for less than two calendar years but pulled together an exceptional 79-41-13 (.643) record in that time, including one of just four 50-win seasons in Oilers franchise history in 2022-23.

Despite the relative lack of head coaching experience at the NHL level, Woodcroft is no stranger to the league. This past season was his first without working in the NHL in some capacity since the 2004-05 lockout. He was picked up by the Red Wings as a video coach when play resumed and, three years later, was hired by the Sharks as an assistant. He remained in San Jose through 2015, when Edmonton hired him as an assistant. He also spent a few years as head coach of their AHL affiliate in Bakersfield before being promoted to the NHL in a head coaching capacity for the first time.

Boston’s interest in Woodcroft makes sense considering their explicitly stated desire for more offense in 2025-26. During his tenure, the Oilers led the league in goals per game (3.80), power play percentage (29.3%), and were sixth in shots per game (34.0).

His name hasn’t come up a ton this cycle aside from being mentioned as a person of interest in the Ducks’ coaching search a few weeks ago before they opted to hire Joel Quenneville. AHL Ontario head coach Marco Sturm was also reported as being in the running within the last week.

Antti Raanta Signs In Finland

at CDT | by 1 Comment

Former NHL goaltender Antti Raanta is continuing his career overseas on a one-year deal with Finland’s Lukko, his hometown club, the Liiga club announced today.

Raanta was linked to Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League shortly after his season ended in March, but that didn’t come to fruition. Last year was Raanta’s first overseas in over a decade, ending his 11-year NHL career to sign with Geneve-Servette HC in Switzerland’s National League.

The stint in Switzerland marked somewhat of a bounce-back for the 36-year-old. While injury-prone and rarely capable of carrying a starter’s workload, Raanta always was one of the league’s best goalies statistically throughout his career. Things came crashing down in his final NHL season, though. He posted just a .872 SV% in 24 games for the Hurricanes in 2023-24 and conceded 9.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

With Geneve-Servette, the 6’0″ Finn improved his numbers to a 2.74 GAA, .902 SV%, one shutout, and an 11-10-0 record in 24 games. While not world-beating numbers, they were enough to prove the one-time Jennings Trophy winner can still play in a top-flight European league.

He’ll now get the chance to do so again with Luuko, where he played the entirety of his youth/junior hockey before making his Liiga debut with them in the 2009-10 season. He posted a 2.49 GAA, .915 SV%, three shutouts, and a 12-14-6 record in 35 appearances for the club across three seasons before spending two years as the starter for Assat, where his 2012-13 campaign for the record books earned the undrafted free agent an NHL contract with the Blackhawks for the following season.

Flyers Re-Sign Rodrigo Abols

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

The Flyers are keeping depth center Rodrigo Abols around for another season, PuckPedia reports. It’s a one-year, one-way deal with an $800K cap hit.

It’s a significant raise in real cash for Abols, who signed a two-way deal with Philadelphia last summer. The 29-year-old Latvian was a seventh-round pick by the Canucks in 2016 but had spent most of his professional career overseas, a one-year run in the Panthers’ farm system in 2019-20 notwithstanding.

After establishing himself as a quality middle-six center with good defensive instincts in the Swedish Hockey League with Orebro HK and Rogle BK, Abols decided to try North American hockey again in the 2024 offseason. He didn’t make the Flyers’ roster out of camp but got some extended looks in the latter half of the campaign, marking his NHL debut.

The 6’4″, 205-lb center played 22 games for the Flyers, almost exclusively in a fourth-line role. He averaged just 9:11 per game but did manage a pair of goals and three assists. Most of his positive impact was felt in the faceoff circle, where he won 66 of his 113 draws (58.4%). He didn’t have sterling defensive impacts, but things weren’t as bad as his -10 rating in limited action suggested, either. Philadelphia controlled 49% of shot attempts and 46.1% of expected goals with Abolts on the ice at 5-on-5.

Given Abols’ track record of quickly returning to Europe when things didn’t work out stateside, some believed it was likely he’d do so again this summer upon reaching unrestricted free agency. Philly would almost certainly need to give him a one-way commitment to retain him – evidently, that’s what they’ve decided to do. Whether the deal indicates they’ve pencilled him into a fringe roster spot remains to be seen.

If not, Abols was a good producer for AHL Lehigh Valley. He posted a 15-17–32 scoring line in 47 games for the minor-league club.

Mattias Ekholm Could Return For Oilers In Conference Finals

at CDT | by Leave a Comment

Edmonton Oilers defender Mattias Ekholm remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, but coach Kris Knoblauch said Tuesday that the veteran could be available for the conference finals if the Oilers advance, reports NHL.com staff writer Derek Van Diest.

Ekholm has played just once since late March, returning for a single game on April 11 after a seven-game absence, only to aggravate his injury again. The 34-year-old has missed all 10 of the team’s playoff games, but Knoblauch mentioned he’s back skating and could return soon.

As Knoblauch stated: “Mattias has been on the ice for light skates,” Knoblauch said. “He will not be joining us this series. We’re hopeful that he can join us next series if we can get to that.”

The Oilers have performed impressively despite missing one of their top defenders and are now just one win away from another trip to the conference finals. But getting Ekholm back in the lineup would undoubtedly bolster the team’s Stanley Cup hopes. Ekholm posted nine goals and 33 points in 65 regular-season games and is just one season removed from posting a career-high 11 goals. However, Elholm’s playoff experience is where his value is felt most. He has appeared in 112 playoff games over his 14-year career and was a key contributor during the Oilers’ deep playoff run last season, recording five goals, 10 points, and a plus-nine rating in 25 games.

In his absence, the Oilers have used a variety of combinations on the back end, which includes the likes of Ty Emberson and Troy Stecher. Emberson has appeared in nine playoff games but has averaged just 9:29 of ice time per game. Stecher replaced Emberson in the Game 4 lineup, logging 16:46 of ice time in the shutout win.

Logan Stanley Set To Be Healthy Scratch For Jets

at CDT | by 8 Comments

Despite a clean bill of health, Winnipeg Jets defenseman Logan Stanley is expected to be a healthy scratch for Game 4 against the Dallas Stars, per Mike McIntyre of Winnipeg News.

Known for his physical presence, Stanley was injured in Game 6 of the team’s first-round matchup against the St. Louis Blues. Before his injury, he posted 42 penalty minutes in five games and had no points and a negative plus-minus to show for it. The massive 6’7” presence could give the team a physically imposing force on the back end, but his style of play may not be the best matchup against Mikko Rantanen and the Stars’ skill-heavy attack. The 26-year-old recorded one goal, 14 points, 88 hits, 76 blocked shots, and 78 penalty minutes in 63 regular-season contests this season.

As the Jets look to even the series, Haydn Fleury will remain slotted into the lineup on the team’s third defensive pairing alongside veteran Colin Miller. Fleury recorded seven assists and a minus-12 in 39 regular-season games. However, his playoff metrics have looked much better, as he’s produced a plus-two rating and chipped in two assists in five games thus far. Additionally, he has averaged 17:24 of ice time per game in the playoffs — a solid increase from his regular season average of 15:56 — showcasing a growing level of trust in the 28-year-old’s play. That figure was certainly inflated by their double-overtime victory in Game 7 of the first round. However, that opportunity provided Fleury with the platform to highlight the impact Fleury can have on the blue line, as he logged a career-high 33:02 after Josh Morrissey left in the first period with an injury.

Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel recently told media, including NHL.com staff writer Tracey Myers, that Fleury provides the team with a mobile option on the back end. “Again, another skillset. He’s real mobile, he can skate out of trouble. Another guy that can be a part of that rush, a part of what we’re talking about getting after Dallas here and getting on our toes. And that’s what he brings to our game,” Arniel said.

Canucks Coaching Race Coming Down To Manny Malhotra, Adam Foote

at CDT | by 6 Comments

The Vancouver Canucks are nearing the final days of their search for a new head coach after Rick Tocchet opted to part ways with the club this summer. The race for next-man-up has come down to NHL assistant coach Adam Foote and AHL head coach Manny Malhotra, per Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK News. The report was seconded by Patrick Johnston of The Province on Bluesky.

No matter which candidate Vancouver chooses, these reports emphasize the club’s desire to promote an internal candidate rather than search externally. That sentiment can definitely be appreciated, after Vancouver hired Tocchet and Malhotra, promoted Jaroslav Svejkovsky to NHL assistant coach, and added two AHL assistant coaches all just one year ago.

Neither Malhotra nor Foote have had much work behind a pro bench. Malhotra’s coaching career started in an assistant role with Vancouver in 2017-18, just three years after he spent his final NHL games in Montreal. Malhotra served behind the Canucks bench for three years before moving back across Canada to join the Toronto Maple Leafs for four years of the same role. He returned last summer and inspired a strong push from the Abbotsford Canucks this season. With Malhotra at the helm, Abbotsford pushed to a 44-24-4 record – good for second in the AHL’s Western Conference. They’re set to take on the only Western Conference team to outperform them – the Colorado Eagles – in the AHL’s Pacific Division Finals. That playoff race might delay, or dictate, any incoming promotion for Malhotra, despite Johnston suggesting he was the slight favorite.

Foote finds himself in a spot that’d be familiar to Malhotra – currently fielding coaching offers after spending three years as a Vancouver assistant coach. The past three seasons have been the first of Foote’s pro coaching career, and come over 10 years after he retired from the NHL in 2010-11. Foote was a hard-nosed and calculated bruiser during his playing days. He pushed to two Stanley Cup wins and 142 games of playoff experience with the Colorado Avalanche from 1995 to 2004. Foote served a perennial top-four role and, while he never scored more than 31 points in a single season, his presence was simply imposing for the opposite team – evidence by his 1,534 penalty minutes in 1,154 career NHL games. He’s now a fundamental guard of the troops who would bring Cup-winning experience and 1,000 games of experience to Vancouver’s head coach role. Malhotra can’t claim either benefit, with 991 career NHL games and a 2000 Calder Cup win standing as his only pro championship.

No matter which candidate they land on, Vancouver seems destined to invest in a rookie head coach for the 2025-26 season. Their options range in playing and coaching expertise, but both have deep roots in the Canucks organization. That fact could keep the loser of the head coaching race in the organization as an NHL assistant, unless they find new options elsewhere.

Metro Notes: Palát, Berard, Hollowell

at CDT | by 3 Comments

In a recent article from Todd Cordell of Infernal Access, he opines that the New Jersey Devils should look to move on from veteran winger Ondřej Palát this offseason. Whether through a buyout or trade, Cordell believes the salary cap savings could be better used to improve other areas.

Cordell’s argument is credible. Palát is making $6MM in 2025-26 and 2026-27 with a full no-movement clause and a modified 10-team no-trade clause. He hasn’t scored more than 31 points in a season since joining the Devils, and his ice time has dropped significantly over the last three years.

Assuming New Jersey is unable to find a trade partner, given the heavy trade protection, it’s likely the Devils buy out the remaining two years of Palát’s contract if they no longer want him on the team. Using PuckPedia’s buyout calculator, New Jersey would be on the hook for $3.533MM in 2025-26, $2.533MM in 2026-27, and $1.483MM in 2027-28 and 2028-29. Aside from Luke Hughes, the Devils don’t have many high-end players to retain this offseason. Should they need the extra cap savings to pursue a notable free agent, buying out Palát’s contract may be the best route.

More notes from the Metropolitan Division:

  • According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, New York Rangers forward Brett Berard has been removed from Team USA in the IIHF World Championships due to “physical limitations”. Neither Walker nor team representatives shared specifics regarding Berard’s injury, but he’s expected to be ready for the Rangers’ training camp in September.
  • In his recurring segment analyzing players within the Pittsburgh Penguins organization, Seth Rorabaugh of the Tribune-Review recently looked at defenseman Mac Hollowell of the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hollowell led all WBS defensemen in scoring this year with one goal and 31 points, but injuries limited him to only 56 games. Despite his offensive maturity in the AHL, there’s Rorabaugh doesn’t believe the Penguins will retain him, given they never recalled him this season.

Dallas Stars Activate Miro Heiskanen From LTIR

at CDT | by 4 Comments

Earlier today, Lia Assimakopoulos of the Dallas Morning News passed along a note from Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer, indicating defenseman Miro Heiskanen would return tonight if everything at practice went well this morning. A few hours later, the Stars announced they’d activated Heiskanen from their long-term injured reserve, indirectly confirming he’d be in the lineup against the Winnipeg Jets this evening.

Heiskanen has been out of the lineup since January 28th after suffering a lower-body injury against the Vegas Golden Knights. During the game, after being tripped up by Dallas forward Roope Hintz, Vegas captain Mark Stone collided headfirst with Heiskanen’s knee, necessitating his teammates to help him off the ice.

A few days later, on February 4th, Heiskanen underwent successful knee surgery for the injury. Still, DeBoer expressed optimism that Heiskanen would return before the end of the regular season. Dallas waited a month to place Heiskanen on LTIR, using the salary cap savings to acquire fellow countryman Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes.

Thanks to Rantanen, the Stars survived a hotly contested opening-round matchup against the Colorado Avalanche, defeating their Central Division rivals in seven games without Heiskanen or star forward Jason Robertson. Robertson returned for the Stars in Game 1 of their Round Two series against the Jets, and they’ll have a mostly healthy lineup tonight for the first time this postseason.

Although his offensive output was depressed this year, Heiskanen has been a premier player for the Stars, particularly in the Stanley Cup playoffs. During their run to the Final in the 2019-20 postseason, Heiskanen scored six goals and 26 points in 27 games. Throughout their back-to-back Western Conference Finals runs in 2023 and 2024, Heiskanen scored seven goals and 28 points in 38 contests, averaging 28 minutes of ice time.

Panthers/Maple Leafs Notes: Stolarz, Rodrigues, Ekman-Larsson

at CDT | by 18 Comments

Mark Masters from TSN reported that Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz was seen back on the ice this morning before the team’s practice. While there is no specific timeline for his return, this development is a positive sign.

Without sacrificing his long-term well-being, the Maple Leafs should want Stolarz back in the crease sooner rather than later, given the mixed results they’ve received from backup Joseph Woll. Despite winning the first two games of the series he appeared in, Woll only mustered a .875 SV% on 48 shots. Still, in the two most recent games that ended up in losses, Woll had a much improved .904 SV% on 73 shots.

Although anything can change this time of year, there’s little hope Stolarz will return to the Maple Leafs for Game 5. It’ll give Woll another opportunity to prove his worth, and could give Toronto more confidence in not rushing Stolarz back too early.

More notes from the Panthers and Maple Leafs series:

  • According to Jameson Olive of the Panthers organization, forward Evan Rodrigues has not been cleared for Game 5. Still, Olive noted that the team has time to decide tomorrow, but the odds aren’t in Rodrigues’ favor after leaving Game 4 early in the third period. Rodrigues left Sunday’s contest after being interfered with by Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, a few games after being hit from behind by Toronto forward Scott Laughton, a play in which Rodrigues was given a two-minute embellishment penalty.
  • Meanwhile, Ekman-Larsson is expected to play Game 5, despite missing practice today (Tweet Link). Masters followed up his initial report, indicating Ekman-Larsson is dealing with a mild illness, and head coach Craig Berube wanted to prioritize his rest rather than pushing him too far in practice.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

scroll to top