It’s now been three weeks since the Vancouver Canucks appointed Manny Malhotra as the 23rd head coach in franchise history, and the process is still ongoing to find who he will surround himself with behind the bench.

Malhotra appeared on Thursday’s episode of Donnie & Dhali and discussed how the process was going, and the type of profile of assistant coaches he is searching for:

“It’s going,” Malhotra joked. “A number of candidates having gone through the process already, video meetings. I’m looking for a balance of both. Guys with experience. Guys who are up-and-coming, ready, and hungry. But I think the biggest thing goes back to what I was just saying, the ability to communicate and teach what we want to do. There’s going to be a real premium on that.”

With Malhotra earning a promotion to the NHL, his former AHL head coaching position is left vacant. Malhotra shared that he was assisting in the process of finding the next head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks, sharing some lessons he learned in the American League that his successor will need to be mindful of.

“Understanding how difficult the American Hockey League is,” Malhotra started. “Obviously, you need somebody that is willing and able to think on their toes. We had many of times in the last couple of years where, you know, my lineup was set, I was ready to go, and I get a call from RJ, and he said, ‘You’re number one centre is gone, and I’m taking your number one D. And oh, by the way, the goalie’s coming up as well.’ And you got to pivot.

“So, it’s somebody that’s able to think on their feet. But again, that message of delivering the message, teaching the message. The biggest thing for me that I learned down there was managing personalities, and managing the people and the players that are there.”

You can watch the full Malhotra interview by clicking here!

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