A surprising new development involving Manny Malhotra is turning heads in Vancouver

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Vincent Carbonneau
May 14, 2026  (1:14)

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Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

Manny Malhotra and Adam Foote are suddenly on the same Vancouver track, and that's where this gets interesting fast.

The new reporting around the Canucks' front office points to a structure that could give Malhotra real momentum in the next coaching conversation.

The key detail is simple. If Ryan Johnson lands the GM chair and the Sedins carry more weight, Malhotra's case gets stronger in a hurry.

That's not empty history talking. Malhotra worked closely with Johnson in Abbotsford, and the article lays out how much trust they built during that run.

Johnson even described that relationship in direct terms, saying they stayed aligned, kept distractions out, and kept the room steady. That matters when a front office starts weighing who should run the NHL bench.

Foote is still Vancouver's head coach, hired on 2025-05-14, so this is not a vacancy story today. It is a leverage story, and Malhotra's leverage looks a lot stronger than it did a week ago.

Vancouver also finished 25-49-8 with a -100 goal differential. A team that far off the pace does not get through summer without every major hockey decision being re-weighed.

That's the real turn here. This is not just about whether Malhotra is ready. It's about whether the people gaining influence are the same people who already know exactly what he is.

The Daily Hive piece makes that plain. Malhotra has ties to Johnson, ties to the Sedins, and recent credibility from a winning environment in Abbotsford.

That puts Foote in a tougher spot than the headline might suggest. He is the current coach, but he is not the coach most connected to the reported incoming structure.

And once that dynamic exists, every stumble gets louder. On a club that allowed 316 goals, the bench is never far from the spotlight.

There is another layer too. The same report notes Toronto as a possible landing spot for Malhotra, which means Vancouver may not have the luxury of waiting this out.

That is why this matters now. If the Canucks believe Malhotra is their guy down the line, the reported front-office shift may force that decision sooner than expected.

Malhotra is not just hovering around the story anymore. If this management picture holds, he is moving closer to the center of it.

Source : What Vancouver Canucks new management team means for Manny Malhotra

Previously

Nathan MacKinnon's postgame gesture instantly set the hockey world on fire

A new Elliotte Friedman report raises concerns about Toronto's coaching

Concern is growing in Montreal after new Ivan Demidov development

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1 HOUR AGO   |   49 ANSWERS A surprising new development involving Manny Malhotra is turning heads in Vancouver Should the Canucks already view Manny Malhotra as their next head coach ?

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