Foote was
never restrained by the coaches. Are you kidding me? You think psychopaths like Marc Crawford and Bob Hartley didn't want guys to hit?
He completely changed his game after double shoulder surgery and basically dealing with a litany of injuries early in his career. He became a much more balanced defenseman afterward and did a lot more with the puck, what he lost in terms of physical play he gained by becoming a better all-around player. He also managed to stay on the ice a lot more. But he still brought the pain from time to time. I still remember a game where they were running the Wylde out of the building and near the end, anytime a green jersey crossed the blue line he promptly knocked them flat on their backs. It was art.
He went balls out that final shift because he DGAF about any injuries at that point, AND he knew the refs wouldn't dare call a penalty on him (not that I think he did anything truly penalty-worthy, but he was going after guys and not caring who had the puck

).
We will see what happens with Lindgren. Bednar doesn't mind physical play, he just doesn't like it outside the structure of the team. I agree that really restrains some players, but not all of them.