The Canucks were last in the NHL two seasons after going 50-23-9 to win the Pacific Division and advance to the Western Conference Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a seven-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers. This season, they were the first team eliminated from playoff contention, on March 22.
Defenseman Quinn Hughes was traded to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12 for forwards Liam Ohgren and Marco Rossi, defenseman Zeev Buium, and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Canucks went 14-32-5 without their former captain. They finished the season averaging 2.56 goals per game (tied for 30th) with a League worst minus-104 goal differential.
“It was less about what they did or didn't do,” Johnson said. “I appreciate them as coaches and people, but this again, is about moving forward in the future.”
The Canucks are likely to move forward in this rebuild with more younger players under Johnson and new co-presidents of hockey operations Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin, who took over from Jim Rutherford on May 14.
Veteran forwards Kiefer Sherwood (San Jose Sharks) and Conor Garland (Columbus Blue Jackets), and defenseman Tyler Myers (Dallas Stars) were traded for draft picks and prospects prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6. With a likely influx of young players to follow, Malhotra’s work with Abbotsford of the AHL stands out. He won an AHL Calder Cup championship with Johnson as the general manager in 2025.
“Manny has shown his ability to develop young players to build a connection and obviously win a championship with a very young group, so won't be ignorant to the fact that I am going to speak with him, sit down with him and talk about the future," Johnson said.
Foote played 19 NHL seasons as a defenseman with the Quebec Nordiques, Colorado Avalanche and Blue Jackets. He won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 1996 and 2001, and the gold medal with Canada at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics and the 2004 World Cup of Hockey. He was the final active player to have skated for the Nordiques when he retired in 2011 after he had 308 points (66 goals, 242 assists) in 1,154 regular-season games and 42 points (seven goals, 35 assists) in 170 playoff games.
Foote, who spent three years as a Vancouver assistant under Tocchet before taking the head job, is the seventh coach to be fired this season. Rick Bowness was hired by the Blue Jackets to replace Dean Evason on Jan. 12; D.J. Smith took over the Los Angeles Kings after Jim Hiller was fired March 1; John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy with the Vegas Golden Knights on March 29; Pete DeBoer was hired by the New York Islanders after they fired Patrick Roy on April 5; Craig Berube was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 13, and Kris Knoblauch by the Oilers on May 14.
Malhotra, who played three seasons with the Sedin twins in Vancouver during his 16-season NHL career, has been linked in media reports to some of those remaining NHL coaching vacancies, but Johnson said other teams have not reached out seeking permission to talk to him.
“I would certainly love the first conversation with him and intend to have that, but no, I've not heard from anybody,” Johnson said.
Johnson did not have a timeline to replace Foote and his staff, and indicated the depth of his search could depend on his conversation with Malhotra.
“Those discussions may determine how big that net is cast but I'm not ruling out anything,” he said. “I've just got to go through the initial steps here.”
Johnson said goaltending coach Marko Torenius, who is in the final year of his contract, could still be back next season, and indicated assistant general managers Emilie Castonguay and Cammi Granato will remain with the Canucks.
“Marko obviously was the recipient of some tough circumstances last season, and hope that we can figure something out, that he's got another opportunity to work with our group here,” Johnson said.
