Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet where the quality of grammar just gets highered and highered.

Speaking of hired, the Vancouver Canucks hired Adam Foote to be the 22^nd head coach in franchise history. You know that already. You’ve already formed an opinion on it, and many of those opinions are going to be featured later in this article.

Foote is the latest in what has become a bit of a trend: former NHLers, but not former Canucks, joining the Vancouver bench. They just had Rick Tocchet, along with his assistants Foote and Sergei Gonchar. All had storied NHL careers, but none of them played in Vancouver.

Nor did Bruce Boudreau, Travis Green, or Alain Vigneault. To find a head coach who ever actually laced them up for the Canucks, you’ve got to go all the way back to Marc Crawford.

But Foote and Gonchar aside, the Canucks have definitely hired former players as assistant coaches far more frequently. Jason King, Nolan Baumgartner, and Scott Walker all held the role at various times in the somewhat recent past. So too did Manny Malhotra, who’s now the bench boss in Abbotsford.

As of this writing, the organization has not announced who will be joining Foote on the coaching staff. But it’s reasonable to think that at least one former Canuck may find themselves in the mix. The question, then, is who? Or maybe it’s whom? (We said the grammar is improving, not perfect.)

Coaching is a hard thing to scout for, especially during an individual’s playing days. Yet, sometimes one just gets a feeling that a player might be a future coach. Many predicted that Alex Burrows might make a fine coach one day – with the way he successfully journeyed from the ECHL to the top line of a Stanley Cup finalist. And, sure enough, Burrows did experience a lot of success in his coaching career, rising to the status of Montreal Canadiens assistant within a few years of starting, though he’s since taken a step back from that role.

So, that’s why we think this is a question worth asking today.

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You initially reacted below!

Foote is a risky hire due to his lack of experience.

That said, management knows him best, so they must see something in him.

Personally, I see him as a stopgap until Manny gets promoted, assuming Manny doesn’t get poached by another team.

Need some veteran assistants who are good teachers.

I’m ok with it, Adam Foote is a good man, next man up, wish him well.

I like Adam Foote as a hiring. He was a solid rock-hard player, has a wealth of experience to share. Will keep the defence going good. Also, did not bail on the Canucks. Obviously seen something that he wanted to stay; if it was that bad, he’d be gone.

Adam Foote.

Shut down defense.

Not my first choice, but I’m hopeful.

This hiring tells me that we enter next season with the all-in approach again, and, IMO, it will fail.

This was the time to start the needed rebuild and bring in a new-school coach with a different message.

Foote will be okay. We don’t know what he might do differently, but he will have his own ideas. I don’t envy him not having any top-three talent…That will be a huge challenge for him.

Last season, Foote and Gonchar received a lot of praise for turning the team into a division winner. I know Toch got the prize, but I think he’ll be worthy of this promotion.

My initial reaction was disappointment. Was hoping for a much more experienced and accomplished coach. I saw many Rockets games when he coached in Kelowna. He didn’t do a good job.

After some reflection, maybe Foote will be fine. Get him some decent assistants and don’t give him too much leash. He could be a pleasant surprise

The Foote hire is rather safe. The uncertainties around the Canucks right now make it prudent not to hire a big name to an expensive contract with term.

I think we had a chance to turn a corner, bring in a younger coach with strong ties to the community. Instead, we let fear make our decisions, and whenever you do that, it doesn’t work. This was a hire based on the fear that QH needs to have Foote so he will re-sign. Complete poppycock! Winning with re-sign Hughes, and whenever you put the goal in 2nd place (which we saw by getting zero assets back at the trade deadline because we were hoping to make the playoffs) you lose the goal. Now this is with all due respect to Foote. I am sure he will be a good coach. I just don’t think he is The Coach. So now I have sum it up in one word which is Meh. Apathy has now sunk in.

Good thing Canucks had a qualified assistant to step into the role, as it was clear Tocchet had one foot out the door.

Will Foote be able to fill RT’s shoes?

Only time will tell.

Foote should do just fine. Canucks management wouldn’t have hired him if they didn’t think he was capable of being a head coach. There are only 32 head coaching positions in the NHL and plenty of guys who would want the job, Foote should be thankful that they gave it to him.

A fair bit has been said about Foote’s hiring being an effort to appease Hughes.

I don’t see it that way, but if it factors in as one of the several reasons why Hughes decides to re-sign, then great.

I see it as an effort to maintain some sense of stability and continuity.

How many players on the roster have been coached by Green, then Boudreau, then Tocchet? Three pretty different coaching styles, to say the least. Do you really want to throw a fourth one at the team? Foote seems like a calm, thoughtful, thorough, well-prepared coach, but if he brings forward some of his tendencies from his playing days, don’t go into a corner with him and piss him off!

Thinking Foote will be just fine if they can find a couple excellent assistants.

Kinda tough to promote Manny when he’s in the middle of a playoff run. Perhaps after the playoffs, he’s behind the big bench in some capacity.

Doesn’t matter who is coaching, the team won’t do anything.

Hopefully he is watching Florida and realizes a fair bit of heft and meanness is needed to win in the playoffs.

I was thinking Manny was going to be the coach, but Foote brings a lot of the same attributes to a coach.

Determination, hard work, and knows what went on last year.

An outside coach might have to do a deep dive into last season. With Foote…

Get it and we are done.

Safe, lazy hire who will be easy to fire if it doesn’t work out. Looking forward to Manny in a year or two.

Tocchet leaving was probably quite a shock to the organization. While it was always a possibility, I doubt they really saw it as a probability. This seems to have left them scrambling somewhat, and the result I think is Adam Foote as the next head coach.

I am guessing Malhotra was signed with the intent of him developing along with the players and taking over as coach in two to three years. Tocchet leaving made them rethink this to some degree. By going with Foote, they (in a way) stick to the plan, partly appease Hughes, and give themselves an in-house replacement in the event this all goes south. Whether or not Foote succeeds will almost certainly depend on the staff that is put around him and that still remains to be seen.

Many people probably look at it as a safe choice, and in a way it is. But I do think this is a team that can’t afford having a slow start.

Foote is a coach everyone seems to like on the team. He knows the players, so the hope is that that translates to an easier start and move for the players. The other aspect is Abby is in the midst of a playoff run. Its a lot to ask of Manny to look at both Abby and Vancouver, as they probably want any head coach to already start planning for next year.