Travis Green knows taking the time to reach an NHL career objective is comforting.
Ten years ago, he guided the Utica Comets to the Calder Cup Finals, the first time an AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the championship series. The Comets fell in five games to the favoured Manchester Monarchs — three one-goal contests and two that required overtime — but the players and Green were much better for the experience.
Green parlayed four seasons as Utica bench boss into head coach of the Canucks in 2017, transitioned to the New Jersey Devils, and is now at the helm of the vastly improved Ottawa Senators.
The Abbotsford Canucks open their Calder Cup title quest Friday in Charlotte, N.C. with rookie head coach Manny Malhotra in the spotlight. He has been widely saluted for a seamless transition to the demanding position and has a confidant in Green to live in the career moment and not dwell on the future.
Green knows you have to look before you leap. Timing should be everything for Malhotra.
What would Green tell the 45-year-old Malhotra as he preps to face the Checkers in the AHL championship? Malhotra served as a Canucks assistant to Green for three seasons before joining the Toronto Maple Leafs in the same capacity. He was also a Canucks centre for 159 games over three NHL seasons.
That’s a pretty good book of work. Any advice, Travis?
“Doesn’t look like he needs much right now,” Green chuckled Wednesday during an interview with Postmedia. “Just keep doing what he’s doing. He’s obviously doing a hell of a job. I’m not giving him advice. He doesn’t need it. I just sent him a note the other day to wish him luck and congratulate him on getting to the finals.
“I didn’t know Manny before I got to Vancouver, but I consider him a good friend now. I’m happy and really proud of him.”
Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra (in dark blue) behind the bench during Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday, May 31, 2025
That’s where time can become a factor. Malhotra is the talk of the town as a hot NHL bench-boss prospect. He was a finalist here to replace the departed Rick Tocchet, but the Canucks pivoted to Adam Foote. That didn’t stop speculation.
As soon as Pete DeBoer was dismissed by the Dallas Stars on Friday, one betting site had Malhotra as a 3-to-1 favourite to supplant the veteran head coach. But the Stars have five key unrestricted free-agent forwards north of 30 years in age. The better bet would probably be a proven NHL bench boss to finally get Dallas over the hump and into the Stanley Cup Finals.
Then again, if the Stars braintrust was curious about Malhotra, he was down the road in Cedar Park, Texas last week for three games against the parent club’s AHL affiliate in the Western Conference final series.
Green once thought he had a serious shot at a Anaheim Ducks vacancy, and an opening with the Colorado Avalanche, the summer before he signed in Vancouver. Patience paid off. He could have also leapt at assistant NHL posts long before leaving Utica. However, he stayed put for two more seasons after that Calder Cup Finals run in 2015.
Canucks head coach Travis Green celebrates 5-4 overtime victory over the Wild on Aug. 7, 2020 during the Edmonton bubble to advance to first round of NHL playoffs.
“It’s not a race,” stressed Green. “I know that personally, and even going back to junior (Portland, WHL), I went there to learn to coach. It’s much like making the NHL as a player. It take years of working on your craft. Same thing as coaching. Manny was a great hire by the Canucks.
“You’re seeing between Ryan Johnson (Abbotsford general manager and Canucks AGM) and Manny two guys who will be a GM and coach in the (NHL) at one point.”
Victoria native Spencer Carbery, 43, turned his second season running the Washington Capitals bench in 2024-25 into the Jack Adams Award. He was a unanimous winner as the league’s top head coach over runner-up Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets. Green finished sixth.
Carbery’s acknowledgement came after doing predatory work as a Leafs assistant for two seasons and earlier running an AHL bench with the Hershey Bears for three seasons.
The Capitals went 51-22-9 this season, improved by 20 points, and won a Stanley Cup playoff series for the first time since 2018. They finished second in goals per game (3.49) in the regular season after being ranked 28th last season (2.63). They were also tied for eighth in goals against per game (2.79) after tied for 16th in 2023-24 (3.07).
Washington was fifth on the penalty kill (82.0 per cent), first in comeback wins (25), and tied for first in road points (53).
“A lot of (NHL) coaches have come through the AHL,” noted Green. “Part of it is earning your stripes. The AHL is not always an easy place to coach. You’ve got injuries, call-ups, and some teams are just based on playing young guys. And, sometimes, your hands get tied a little bit, but for me, it was the greatest place to learn.”
It’s also where you have players on the way up the career ladder and some on the way down.
“You have to adjust your lines, the messages to your team, and rally them at certain moments,” added Green. “You play a tough schedule and find way to have energy, even as coach, when you’re tired. It challenges you in great ways and is such a good breeding ground for coaches.”
Like Malhotra.