Vancouver has reached an agreement to make Manny Malhotra the 23rd head coach in franchise history, according to sources confirmed to Sportsnet on Monday. NHL insider Frank Seravalli was first to report that the deal was in place.
Malhotra, 46, has spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. He guided the Abbotsford Canucks to the Calder Cup championship in the 2024-25 season, his first year in the role. Before that, he worked as an assistant coach with Vancouver for three seasons from 2017 to 2020, then spent four seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2020 to 2024.
A former NHL forward, Malhotra played 14 seasons in the league, including three with Vancouver late in his career. He now returns to the organization in a new role after the Canucks dismissed Adam Foote following Foote’s first season as head coach. Vancouver finished the season with a league-worst 25-49-8 record under Foote.
Malhotra’s hiring comes amid a broader offseason of changes in Vancouver’s hockey operations. The club also moved on from general manager Patrik Allvin after the season and promoted assistant GM Ryan Johnson into the top front-office job. That decision was made by Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were elevated to co-presidents of hockey operations.
Jim Rutherford, Vancouver’s current president of hockey operations, announced on May 6 that he will step down from his role after the NHL Draft and become an adviser.
The Canucks enter the draft holding the No. 3 overall pick, adding another major decision point to an offseason already marked by leadership changes across the organization.
