Former Vancouver Canucks player Manny Malhotra has a deal in place with the team to become the 23rd head coach in franchise history.
After plenty of speculation, Malhotra — who was the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks — will become the new bench boss of the Canucks.
Hockey journalist Frank Seravalli confirmed the news on Monday that Malhotra has a deal in place with Vancouver, though the team has not made an announcement yet.
“Sources say #Canucks have a deal in place to make Manny Malhotra the 23rd head coach in franchise history. Zero surprise, the Canucks’ Calder Cup winner isn’t going anywhere. He’s won with Johnson and was a teammate of the Sedins. Announcement and timing TBD,” Seravalli wrote on X.
Zero surprise, the Canucks’ Calder Cup winner isn’t going anywhere. He’s won with Johnson and was a teammate of the Sedins.
Announcement and timing TBD.
Manny Malhotra is a Former Canucks Player
Before he became a hockey coach, Malhotra played in the NHL from 1998 to 2015 with the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens, and, of course, the Canucks.
It was with the Canucks that Malhotra had arguably his most success as a hockey player, as he made it to the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals when the Canucks lost to the Boston Bruins. But the fact that Malhotra was able to play in the finals despite suffering a career-threatening eye injury earlier that year was remarkable.
Ultimately, the eye injury made it too difficult for him to continue playing at the highest level of the sport, and it was a major reason why he decided to retire. But since he stepped away from his playing days, he became an excellent coach in Abbotsford in the AHL, and now he will get a chance to be the head coach in Vancouver.
Canucks Could Draft Caleb Malhotra
The Canucks have the No. 3 draft pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft, and there is a strong possibility that they will draft Malhotra’s son, Caleb Malhotra, who plays for the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL.
The younger Malhotra is one of the top prospects in this year’s draft, and after the Canucks dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in the draft following the lottery, they may still have a chance to take him if the Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks select Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg, as is hotly anticipated.
With his father now the head coach in Vancouver, it makes a ton of sense for the team to draft his son with the third-overall pick, as there would be no better mentor and coach for the younger Malhotra than his father. We’ll ultimately see how the draft plays out, but it does feel like this makes a lot of sense.
The Canucks have brought back many familiar faces in recent weeks to lead the franchise into the future. With former franchise superstars Daniel and Henrik Sedin now the co-presidents of the club and former player Ryan Johnson the general manager, it made sense to bring back another teammate of theirs in Malhotra to be the club’s head coach as they try and turn the franchise around after finishing in dead last in the NHL this past season.
Manny Malhotra to Be Hired by Canucks as Head Coach