Ryan Johnson took a few moments from his duties leading the Vancouver Canucks contingent at the National Hockey League scouting combine in Buffalo to discuss the hiring of Manny Malhotra as the 23rd head coach in franchise history. Johnson discussed the hiring process, the next steps in filling out the NHL bench staff, and finding a replacement for Malhotra in Abbotsford, expectations for a first time NHL head coach and the possibility the Canucks could add another Malhotra through the draft later this month. Here are six takeaways from the general manager’s media availability on Tuesday morning.

There was never a holdup in the process

Johnson acknowledged that it may have seemed like it took longer than expected to get Manny Malhotra signed, but he insisted there were never any snags along the way.

“Manny is a very thoughtful person in the sense that there is a lot to consider in this job and wanting it. Obviously, his family is always first and foremost, like all of us are. Some of those initial discussions were the path and the vision. Just to be clear on that. I know the perception was this was a long, drawn-out process, but from our standpoint, it really wasn’t. At the same time, I’m navigating the draft and free agency and finding support staff for myself, there’s a lot to consider. I didn’t want to do anything with a knee-jerk reaction. I wanted to go through this process and make sure it was very clear with Manny. And when Manny jumped into it, he jumped with both feet and that’s how we got to this point here. Obviously, we’re both extremely excited to get moving forward.”

This is not about getting the band back together

While it’s true that both Ryan Johnson and Manny Malhotra were teammates of Daniel and Henrik Sedin at different times in Vancouver, Johnson insists the promotion of the new head coach was never about reliving the past. It’s all about setting a proper course for the franchise as it goes through a rebuild.

“Having the opportunity to do this, we wanted to do it with the right people. We know how tough this is going to be. We know there are going to be some tough days. I think maybe because you guys see there is a connection between Daniel and Henrik and myself and Manny, that it’s just a bunch of buddies getting together, that’s not the case here. It’s more of a mission. We see it as an amazing opportunity to change a franchise, to build it the right way and get it sustainable.”

Malhotra will be judged on development and culture setting, not wins and losses next season

Inheriting a last-place hockey club, Manny Malhotra will not be under pressure to produce a winner right away. Johnson insisted on Tuesday that the next coach has been tasked with identifying players that want to be Canucks and working with them to grow their games.

“It’s very clear, I want him to implement what I know he does well and that’s structure within a game in three zones, absolutely certainty from players what’s expected of them and the structure they’re going to play in. It’s not the 7pms on Friday nights, it’s the 8am on Mondays. Manny and I both feel extremely strong about that. The games become easy. We’re going to ask the players to get uncomfortable at the 8ams. The wins and losses and all that other stuff will take care of itself. We will have the patience within the wins and losses, but with the structure and how we’re going to treat each other and then the competitiveness that we will expect at 8am, that will bleed into the 7pms and slowly in time the results will come.”

What’s better than one Malhotra?

Now that he has his head coach in place, Ryan Johnson can focus on preparing for his first draft as GM. Of course, Manny Malhotra’s son Caleb remains very much on the Canucks’ radar with the third overall selection. Johnson says having father and son together in the same organization remains a possibility and he wasn’t shying away from that.

“In the initial discussion with Manny, it was very clear that each component and decision of hiring and drafting, none would impact the other based on any certain type of scenario. I had to be honest and clear with Manny that I want him as the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks. The Vancouver Canucks also sit in a position that there is a possibility that the Canucks select Caleb. I wanted to make sure that we weren’t sitting there on June 20th where Manny said ‘RJ, I really wish I knew that was a possibility or I wish that there was a little more clarity when we had that discussion.’ I wanted to make sure that he had time to talk with his wife and with his family understanding that this was a possible scenario and that there was no hesitation on him moving forward and taking this position. I felt I owed that to him. We’re going through the process, we’re at the combine going through interviews and we’ll have more meetings with our amateur staff that’s done an outstanding job and we’ll make our decisions based on who the best player available when we pick and there won’t be an outside influence changing who that might be.”

A process to follow for filling openings in Abbotsford

With the promotion of Manny Malhotra to the NHL, Ryan Johnson now has two openings to fill on the farm. He’s still looking for his own replacement to oversee the day-to-day operation of the minor-league team, and of course, now he needs a head coach. Johnson was asked about filling those vacancies and made it clear that finding an AGM to take over the Abbotsford portfolio is a priority. And that person will have input on the new minor-league bench boss.

“Getting this in place, I have started some of the process as far as a GM in Abbotsford and looking at names, but at the end of the day, I want the input from the new GM on a head coach. I think I owe it to that person to trust them and have some input onto the build there. It’s important to me that Manny and the coach that comes into Abbotsford that there is some communication. I want the language throughout the organization to be the same. I want a relationship. I want some communication between the (NHL and AHL) staffs. It’s something I’m on top of. Obviously, I wanted to get this spot filled and then will start building out the rest of the staffs.”

Don’t expect to see the Vancouver Canucks name a captain anytime soon

The hockey club moved forward after the trade of Quinn Hughes without anyone wearing the C. And based on his comments on Tuesday, Johnson doesn’t sound like a guy in a hurry to stitch that letter on anybody on the current roster. He wants to work in concert with Manny Malhotra and the Sedins to get a feel for the playing group they will assemble and then allow leadership to emerge organically.

“In my time in managing teams, I am a firm believer that the captain presents itself. It eventually rises to the surface where you just don’t have a choice. It’s in your gut and everyone can feel it. I don’t like forcing that position on someone that might change the dynamic of your team or that player if it’s not that obvious. I’ve been very strategic even about assistant captains. I don’t think those are things that you just hand around. I think those are earned. We’re coming in with a clean slate. Nothing is going to be assumed. We’ll go through the initial parts of training camp and make some decisions on some people that are here and are able to deliver the environment that we intend to build.”

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