Welcome back to WDYTT, the only hockey column on the internet that doesn’t believe Thanos was inevitable.

Speaking of inevitability, however, it sure seems like the Vancouver Canucks hiring Manny Malhotra as their next head coach was a case of it. The hire was almost set in stone the moment that Ryan Johnson was promoted to GM, but it still took a few weeks to sort out all the details and formally announce Malhotra. As of this past Monday evening, it’s official.

We doubt that there are many out there who are sad to see Adam Foote depart and Malhotra replace him. But there still might be a wide range of opinions about Malhotra himself, and what his hiring means for the Canucks in both the short- and long-term.

It could be said that this is one of the more important coaching hires in franchise history. Malhotra takes over the bench after one of the most disappointing Canucks seasons ever, but also at the cusp of the rebuild that was born from that disappointment. A lot of coaches get hired to turn around a season or a roster. Malhotra is being hired to help turn around this organization and define its direction for the next decade or so.

It’s a big job, and it deserves some big thought.

As we said near the outset, most seem to be in favour of Malhotra having been hired, so that’s not exactly the question today. Instead, we’re leaving it a little more open-ended in asking for your general thoughts on Malhotra, because we thought that would allow you to take this in any direction you see fit.

But we’re also asking you to use that open-endedness to think big about this. Where will this Malhotra hire really take the Canucks, both in the short- and long-term?

This week, we’re asking:

Let it be known in the comment section.

You made your predictions below!

Unfortunately, not enough. Optimistically, I’d say two.

Maybe one trade, maybe DeBrusk goes out? Put me down for “one trade.”

Depends on what Toronto and San Jose does with their draft pick. If they do something crazy that totally screws up the Canucks draft board, then the Canucks will probably make 4-6 trades during the off-season. If the Leafs and Sharks do as predicted, then Canucks will do at most three trades.

I say three offseason trades – two with vets coming off the roster for picks/young players and one a draft day trade (picks only).

Bags already packed – DeBrusk.

If the offer is right (no retention) – Pettersson.

Gone sometime before the trade deadline 2027 – O’Connor, Chytil, Höglander.

Watch out for – Rossi, M. Pettersson, one of the two goalies (with max retention).

No chance – Hronek, Boeser.

Dark horse – One of the young D guys (for a similar young F).

Probably not a lot, I am going with two trades.

I could see DeBrusk being moved fairly early and probably another inconsequential trade involving a tweener like Bains or some other frequent call up to shuffle the 13th-16th forward depth.

Otherwise, I think that team management are content to let these guys play and try to maximize trade capital at the next trade deadline.

I suspect we’ll see 4 trades.

One trade likely prior to the draft – Debrusk – going out for a pick plus prospect.

One trade at the draft – probably just picks to move up or down.

One minor league trade to get some extra forward help by moving out a depth d-man – maybe Kudryavtsev.

One fringe player trade – could see Hogz get moved for a similar aged player that is also finding it hard to fit on their current team.

I think Canucks will make one trade of a veteran this offseason (I won’t count any AHL level trades).

I believe the Canucks will trade Jake DeBrusk, who had a pretty good season. He has shown he is a powerplay specialist and his contract is very reasonable in today’s salary cap. There will be a lot of teams that were knocked out of the playoffs because their powerplay was not good enough and DeBrusk could fill that hole for them. I think a playoff team may be willing to give up their first round pick for this year to acquire him.

Every other Canucks veteran will be kept until the March trade deadline in order to build their trade value. Foote’s system made the defense for the Canucks look really bad last year. Plus, Foote benched a lot of young players in favor of players like Kane and Kampf, so this coming year is a chance to build value for our tradeable players under a more structured system.

Demko needs to prove he can play with no injuries before Canucks can trade him.

Hronek will provide a better return at the March trade deadline than the off season. I expect him to return the equivalent of two first round picks. IE, a first round pick and a high-end prospect.

Pettersson needs to build value before his cap hit becomes more palatable to other teams.

Boeser is a strange one. There has never been a trade deadline that didn’t have heavy speculation he would be traded. I will predict he will be kept with the Canucks.

Höglander I could see being traded because he has been awful. He doesn’t provide any offense for the team. This of course makes him undesirable for other teams.

Marcus Pettersson I could see being traded at the trade deadline too. Hopefully, he will build value again under a more structured coaching system.

None of the three senior managers could ever be described as impulsive or overly emotional. They will act cautiously and methodically. They should and likely are thinking from a medium to long term perspective. I don’t think any of them care one bit if the media and fans want them to quickly put their stamp on the team.

There will likely be one or two trades before October, but it wouldn’t be surprising if there are none of much consequence. Many of the veteran assets the team has are currently at a depressed value after last season.

While some posters on this site want to trade as many players as possible, try to draft a whole team at once and send a slew of unsheltered rookies into next season. That approach has never worked before, so it’s bound to work this time right?

A new coach, new systems and an infusion of youthful exuberance probably helps the trade value for MPettersson and DeBrusk. It’s perhaps more likely these veterans aren’t traded until the next deadline. They will be traded but not until after careful consideration. Good chance that includes a significant sample of next season’s performance. It certainly includes getting a full picture of other teams’ prospect depth charts and strategically identifying potential trade partners.

Most organizations have most of their staff on holidays right now. It will take some time to pull information together on other teams’ prospects, their needs and on the potential in the 2027 draft.

It is a gross oversimplification to believe the biggest priority is to get another top 5 draft pick in 2026. Of course the Sharks and Blackhawks have said their picks could be available. Most teams do that hoping a big overpayment shows up from an impatient GM hoping to make a splash. Those picks only move for a big price. Fact is, compared to most years, the top end of the 2026 draft class isn’t that great.

I don’t think the Canucks will make any big moves this offseason. I believe the new FO will try and rebuild some value in players like Brock and DeBrusk and trade them before next seasons deadline or in the next offseason.

No need to try and get 50 picks in one draft. Better off getting multiple picks in next years draft, as well.

I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I’m ready to take a break from trades. They need to be focused on their ten picks in this draft, and then targeting the right UFAs.

Trades can wait now until the trade deadline, unless DeBrusk goes on one of his streaks. He’s the one guy they might have to strike when the iron gets hot.

If they are serious about a rebuild we should see far more trades at the deadline than any other time of year. I expect 1-2 trade before or at the draft and that’s about it this off season. That said, every player over 25 should be traded before this team is competitive so they should be listening and exploring regularity.

Zero.

If any trades happen, I would think DOC, M-Petey, and Chytil would be involved.. Others could be bigger, more surprising deals involving Hronek, DeBrusk, and Demko with decent value in exchange. Then Petey and Boeser are even bigger longshots. I can’t see the new management group taking on any retention when the consensus seems to be using the cap space to obtain teams cap dumps with sweeteners…

The Canucks are in full rebuild mode, so I will assume they are highly motivated to make trades.

Forwards: Two trades out, one in. DeBrusk and Höglander out. Its clear JD wants out and Hogs needs a fresh start. The Canucks need roster spots to add “character,” etc. I am sure they would love to trade EP, but that will be a difficult one to make. I could also see a Gallagher to Van trade with an asset attached.

Defence: One of either M Pete or Hronek out. I doubt they do both, but they probably should.

Total of four trades.