Vancouver, British Columbia — Manny Malhotra was named head coach of the Vancouver Canucks late Monday, replacing Adam Foote, who was dismissed last month following a disappointing season that saw Vancouver finish last in the NHL standings. Malhotra becomes the 23rd head coach in the franchise’s history and is the latest former Canucks player to take the helm amid the team’s ongoing rebuild.

General Manager Ryan Johnson highlighted his prior working relationship with Malhotra, emphasizing the new coach’s leadership qualities and teaching ability. Johnson and Malhotra have collaborated before within the Canucks’ organization, including their time together in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Abbotsford Canucks.

“Manny has the right skill set and mindset to help players improve daily,” Johnson said. “We both believe that pressure is a privilege, and developing into a good professional takes patience, dedication, and a ‘be better than yesterday’ approach.”

Foote was fired on May 19 after registering a 25-49-8 record in his sole season as head coach. Malhotra emerged early as a top candidate to succeed him, with Johnson indicating discussions about the team’s future had already taken place with the 46-year-old former NHL player.

Before his promotion, Malhotra served multiple roles within the Canucks organization, including development coach and assistant coach. He spent four seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs prior to coaching Abbotsford, where he led the AHL team to the Calder Cup championship in the 2024-25 season. The follow-up season proved challenging due to injuries that sidelined key players, but Malhotra’s leadership through adversity was praised by Johnson.

“To see him keep the environment consistent and keep pushing players forward despite a tough season really speaks volumes about his character and coaching ability,” Johnson said, adding that Malhotra and his staff demonstrated championship qualities beyond just wins and losses.

Malhotra’s appointment reunites him with former Canucks stars Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who were named co-presidents of hockey operations in mid-May.

Originally from Ontario, Malhotra spent 16 seasons in the NHL after being selected by the New York Rangers in the 1998 draft. Over his career, he tallied 116 goals and 295 points across 991 regular-season games with several teams, including the Canucks, Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Montreal Canadiens, and Carolina Hurricanes.

Malhotra is also known for a serious facial injury sustained in March 2011 while with the Canucks, which resulted in limited vision in his left eye and caused him to miss significant games during Vancouver’s Stanley Cup Finals run that year.

Johnson expressed confidence that Malhotra’s passion for the game and ability to connect with players will help build a competitive and hardworking team moving forward. “I am very confident Manny will help us ice a team our fans will be proud of,” Johnson said.