There’s little doubt Manny Malhotra came out of last spring’s Calder Cup victory with a little extra shine to his name.
In his first year as a head coach, Malhotra guided the AHL Abbotsford Canucks to a surprising title. He’d long been highly-rated as an assistant coach, both in Vancouver and then Toronto, but coaching as the top boss is a different challenge.
Malhotra, most figured, was well prepared for the job — but you don’t know if you’re going to be any good at head coaching until you do it.
The former Canucks centre clearly passed the test with flying colours. There was so much buzz around him coming out of the Calder Cup win people started to wonder how long it would be until he got NHL notice.
Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra behind the bench during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against the Texas Stars on Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Well, if he’s going to get interest from another NHL team, the Canucks have made it clear that that team will have to be really serious: Malhotra’s option year for the 2026-27 season has been officially picked up, meaning that unless he gets an offer to become an NHL head coach, he’s going to be with the Vancouver Canucks organization for the next two seasons.
That’s tremendous news for a coach who has impressed everyone he meets with the depth of his knowledge of the game and his preparation.
Those are qualities he first put on display during his playing career: he made the NHL as an 18 year old, then developed into one of the NHL’s most dependable defensive forwards and a true artist of the faceoff.
Players have praised how he communicates, how he helps young players understand so many little aspects of the game.
His future, clearly, is bright.