The Vancouver Canucks announced that the club is hiring Manny Malhotra as the team’s newest head coach following a disappointing 2025-26 season.
Malhotra is set to become the 23rd head coach in franchise history, and replaces Adam Foote behind the bench.
“Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is,” said newly named general manager Ryan Johnson. “Connection, consistency and putting in place the proper foundation will be key for our group moving forward. Manny is a great coach who has the right skillset and mentality to help players develop and get better each day. We both believe that pressure is a privilege, and learning to become a good pro takes patience, dedication, and a ‘be better than yesterday’ mindset. He loves the game and getting to know what makes his players tick and I am very confident Manny will help us ice a competitive and hard-working team that our fans will be proud of moving forward.”
The hiring represents the first major move of the Johnson era, as the newly minted GM begins his first season at the helm of the franchise. Johnson took over for Patrik Allvin in May, with Daniel and Henrik Sedin being named co-presidents of hockey operations.
Malhotra previously spent time as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs helping guide the team to the league’s 2nd ranked power play, before being moved into a forwards role specializing in face-offs. During his time in that position, the Leafs ranked 3rd across the NHL in terms of face-offs won. His attention to detail, and proven track record of turning weaknesses into team strengths were a large part of the reason that he was selected to take on his new role.
“I want him to implement what I know he does well, and that is structure within a game in all three zones, absolute certainty from players. What’s expected of them, the structure that they’re going to play in,” said Johnson on Malhotra.
“It’s not the 7 pm on Friday nights, it’s the 8 am on Monday, and the focus and attention on that.”
Originally selected 7th overall by the New York Rangers in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, the 46 year old would go on to have a 991 game NHL career before a serious eye injury forced him into early retirement. Malhotra would ultimately have stints with the Rangers, Stars, Blue Jackets, Sharks, Canucks, Hurricanes, and Canadiens before retiring from professional hockey following the 2015-16 season.
“Manny was one of a few that I had really been keeping an eye on when I knew I needed a head coach in Abbotsford. I was very vindicated that he could do a heck of a job there. I knew where the team was at as far as our prospects and people that I wanted to bring in there at that time,” Johnson told the media.
“I put some support around him, especially early in those first few months. Things that jumped out right away were his ability to connect and communicate. Manny is very able to wear many hats, and as far as he holds players accountable, it’s not really rainbows, and every day he’s able to navigate the adverse situations by being consistent, and I think you guys have heard me talk about how important consistency and environment is.”
Malhotra is expected to be formally introduced to the fanbase at a press conference later this week.
Photo: The AHL. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.