Vancouver Canucks Hire Manny Malhotra As Head Coach

The hockey world loves familiarity, and the Vancouver Canucks organization is very familiar with Manny Malhotra.

Reports surfaced on Monday night, firstly by Frank Seravalli, that the Canucks and Malhotra have finally closed the deal, and he'll be the Canucks new head coach.

Sources say #Canucks have a deal in place to make Manny Malhotra the 23rd head coach in franchise history.

Zero surprise, the Canucks’ Calder Cup winner isn’t going anywhere. He’s won with Johnson and was a teammate of the Sedins.

Announcement and timing TBD.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 2, 2026

Malhotra was the head coach of the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks, and lead them to a Calder Cup championship last season. Canucks' new GM Ryan Johnson worked very closely with Malhotra and feels this chemistry, along with both Henrik and Daniel Sedin could be exactly what this franchise needs.

"Manny and I have been in the battle together before, so I know firsthand what a good teacher, leader, and quality person he is," Johnson said in a statement. "Connection, consistency, and putting in place the proper foundation will be key for our group moving forward. Manny is a great coach who has the right skillset and mentality to help players develop and get better each day. I am very confident Manny will help us ice a competitive and hard-working team that our fans will be proud of moving forward."

Malhotra was an assistant with the Maple Leafs from '20-24 before he took the Abbotsford position. The 46-year-old began his coaching career in Vancouver as a development coach in 2016-17. Malhotra then moved into an assistant role for three seasons.

Malhotra played with the Sedin's from 2010-13 and now they're in charge of getting the Canucks through a rebuild and back into relevancy. It's going to be very interesting to watch the NHL Draft in a few weeks, as the Canucks have the third overall pick, and Malhotra's son Caleb is slated to be a top-five pick.