The Vancouver Canucks didn’t have to look very far for their next bench boss.
Vancouver has a deal in place to make Manny Malhotra the 23rd head coach in franchise history, sources confirmed to Sportsnet on Monday.
The team has confirmed the news on its social media account.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli was first to report that an agreement was in place.
Malhotra has been the head coach of the team’s AHL affiliate in Abbotsford for the past two seasons. He led the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup title in 2024-25 — his first season as head coach of the team.
Before joining Abbotsford, Malhotra served as an assistant coach with the Canucks for three seasons (2017-20) and four with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2020-24).
WELCOME COACH MANNY!General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the #Canucks have hired Manny Malhotra as the 23rd Head Coach in franchise history.DETAILS | https://t.co/JJyyPHeb09 pic.twitter.com/Tbm9EHOYYP
Malhotra played 14 seasons in the NHL, including three with the Canucks at the tail end of his career.
The 46-year-old Malhotra will take over behind the bench for Adam Foote, who was fired after his first season as head coach of the Canucks.
Under Foote, the Canucks finished with a league-worst record of 25-49-8.
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Malhotra’s hiring continues what has been an off-season of change in Vancouver.
The team also parted ways with GM Patik Allvin after the season, and promoted assistant GM Ryan Johnson to fill Allvin’s general manager spot.
The decision to hire Johnson as GM was made by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were promoted to co-presidents of hockey operations.
Vancouver’s current president of hockey operations, Jim Rutherford, announced on May 6 that he’ll step down from his role following the draft and become an adviser.
The Canucks own the No. 3 overall pick in June’s NHL Draft.