General Manager Ryan Johnson introduced Head Coach Manny Malhotra, as he met with the media for the first time following Tuesday evening’s announcement of Malhotra taking the role of Vancouver Canucks’ head coach.
Malhotra was asked about what it means to him to take the next step in his coaching career with the Canucks organization.
“Well, for me, it’s an extremely special one. Vancouver and this organization have a very special place in my heart; all my kids were born on the West Coast. As a player, being a part of some very special years here, playing alongside some incredibly special players, Hall of Fame players. There’s that element to it. There is the element of knowing how passionate the fans are here about their Canucks and knowing that it matters here. Hockey matters to these people, and they want to see a product that is deserving of their approval and their fanship,” said Malhotra.
“A major factor in it is the fact that I have an opportunity to come back here and work with such great people, Henrik, Daniel, RJ, the fact that we are so aligned in the way we see things, from an on-ice product to the off-ice daily messaging to the way people should be treated, we’re very much in sync with that. So, it’s a great opportunity for those and a whole host of other reasons to be back in this organization.”
The new head coach discussed an emphasis on players committing to daily improvement over the course of the year. He mentioned that the chance to instill that mentality in his players was one of the major reasons he views this job as so special.
“You’ve heard RJ talk about developing and building that foundation of what this group needs to be about and harping on that same messaging every day. For me and our coaching staff, it will be about those daily incremental improvements. Today’s practice needs to look better than yesterday’s practice,” said Malhotra.
“The level of execution needs to be better than it was yesterday, and I think by developing that mindset with the guys, you now start to see individual growth; you now see collective growth in the group, and that’s where we’ll start to take strides.”
When asked what it would be like to coach a team going through a rebuild, Malhotra talked about acknowledging that there will be some tough times and that doing so will make it easier to get through them. He also said that these tough times will test the group’s character and teach the players and staff to maintain a positive mindset, giving them something to work through.
“I think the underlying message with all those teams that have gone through [a rebuild] is consistency and staying the course and believing in what you’re doing and executing those things on the daily,” said Malhotra.
When asked about rounding out his coaching staff, Malhotra said he is looking for coaches who have a mindset to get better and are good teachers for young players.
“The ability to teach goes along with your ability to communicate the message, so the staff that I’m looking for again will be along the same lines as myself, guys that truly enjoy being at the rink, truly enjoy helping young players find their path and find their game and have the energy to do it on a daily basis. That’s kind of an overview of what I’ll be looking for,” he said.
Malhotra is set to be busy over the next few days, having conversations with Johnson about rosters, schedules, and timing as they plan for the 2026-27 season. He is also going to be hard at work building a list of candidates for his coaching staff and working through the process of assembling a group he is confident in.
The offseason is just beginning for the Canucks, but they have their new management in place and now have the bench boss who will guide them on the next steps of the team’s rebuilding process.
