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JPat: It was always going to be Manny Malhotra as the next head coach of Canucks
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Photo credit: Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Jun 2, 2026, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Jun 2, 2026, 02:31 EDT
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It was always going to be Manny Malhotra.
The announcement of the new head coach of the Vancouver Canucks may have taken a little longer than many anticipated, but considering there were never really other alternatives being linked to the job or the hockey club, it just had that feel of when, not if. And despite the delay, there was never any sense that negotiations had hit any kind of stumbling block. And so, at 8:15 pm on Monday, the club made the hiring official in a media release after first breaking the news to season ticket holders.
In the end, the Canucks got their man and their Manny. And on the surface, it seems like Malhotra is the right man for the massive job in front of him. He has an immediate and strong connection to the new front office, as well as to several of the players who will be counted on to move the fledgling franchise forward. 
This was never about finding a big name with a bigger price tag to replace Adam Foote. The Canucks aren’t looking for a coach to get them over any kind of hump at this stage. They need someone who can grow into the job and nurture the young talent they’ve got on the roster and be in place when more and more prospects join the fold in the coming years.
As he’s shown in his two seasons behind the bench in Abbotsford, Malhotra has a strong foundation as a teacher and communicator. He has a self-belief in the system he employs and delivers his message with a direct but calm demeanour. Those attributes will serve him well as he inherits a last-place team in the midst of one of the greatest transitions in franchise history. Including playoffs, the 46-year-old brings more than 1,000 NHL games of experience and nearly a decade in the coaching ranks. He may have been ready for an NHL head coaching job a few years ago, but to his credit, he took a step away from the bright lights of the best league in the world to hone his craft in the minors. 
His first season there resulted in a remarkable run to a Calder Cup championship, and this past season surely tested his mettle as he was left to deal with a patchwork lineup devoid of star power due to injuries to both his own team and the parent club. Malhotra took the challenge head-on, didn’t grumble and played the hand he was dealt to the best of his ability. 
After two seasons in the Fraser Valley, he has very much earned the opportunity to run the bench of the big league version of the Canucks.
And while his promotion comes as no surprise, the mystery lies in how he will go about filling out his bench staff. The Canucks made the extraordinary move of cleaning house and not keeping anyone from the previous bench staff on to ease the transition. So Malhotra will be starting from scratch and working with a clean slate. Will he be permitted to bring one or both of his assistants from Abbotsford? That feels like it would be a remarkably inexperienced group to work an NHL bench together. But don’t be surprised if the new coach is granted the opportunity to promote from within with at least one of his helpers.
Like many first-time head coaches, Malhotra could probably benefit from the steady hand of someone who has run a bench of his own. It’s commonplace in today’s NHL to find many staffs with former head coaches serving as assistants. That would seem like the best path forward for the hockey club at this point in time. Surely, the Canucks will cast a wide net to put together a progressive staff to surround and support Malhotra.
It’s also going to be interesting to see how the organization goes about filling the vacancy created in Abbotsford. The next person in that role has sizable shoes to fill.
As for Malhotra, the work begins immediately. He’ll need to lean into his strong relationship with new general manager Ryan Johnson to discuss a wishlist as far as the kind of roster he wants to work with. The Canucks’ new brass has already made it abundantly clear that it is prioritizing resetting the club culture, and this coaching hire certainly aligns with that. 
Malhotra will not be judged by wins and losses for the first couple of years of tenure. His priority will be to develop the club’s youth movement and find ways to get many of the young players in the system into the NHL line and to take the next steps in their careers.
With the role he’s played in developing players like Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson and defenceman Elias Pettersson into full-time NHLers, Malhotra has demonstrated a track record of success that should continue as he climbs the coaching ladder.
He seems like the right guy for the challenge ahead of him. And with the announcement on Monday night, it’s pretty clear the Canucks feel the same way.
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