With their management staff starting to fill itself out, the Vancouver Canucks ' next task ahead of them is to fill out the staff behind the bench — those who will assist new Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, as well as who will take his old position with the Abbotsford Canucks.
There's a certain mix of experience that Malhotra is looking for when it comes to finding the coaches who will stand beside him come puck-drop on the 2026–27 season. As often stated through the team's re-structuring process, however, the biggest thing the ideal candidates will bring are the commitment to the Canucks' ideals of communicating and learning.
"I'm looking for a balance of both," Malhotra said on CHEK TV program Donnie & Dhali of what experience levels he's eyeing in an assistant coach search." Guys with experience, guys who are up-and-coming and are ready and hungry. But I think the biggest thing [...] [is] the ability to communicate and teach what we do, there's going to be a real premium on that."
While similar, Malhotra understands that, in the search for a new coach at the AHL-level, there will need to be some different elements for himself, Canucks management, and Abbotsford's new General Manager , Richard Seeley, to consider.
"Understanding how difficult the AHL is, obviously you need someone that is willing and able to think on their toes. We had many atime in the last couple of years where my lineup was set, I was ready to go, and I got a call from RJ and he said 'your no.1 centre is gone and I'm taking your no.1 D, and oh, by the way, the goalie's coming up as well,' and you've got to pivot. So it's somebody that's going to be able to think on their feet, but again that message of delivering the message, teaching the message, and the biggest thing for me that I learned down there was managing personalities and managing the people and the players that are there."
Jun 4, 2026; Vancouver, BC, CANADA; Manny Malhotra speaks during press conference where the Vancouver Canucks introduce Malhotra as their new head coach during a press conference at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Communicating, teaching, and executing are things that Malhotra has drawn on in regards to his own coaching style, both at the AHL-level and what he hopes to accomplish as an NHL coach. He spoke on how having 13 different head coaches through his NHL playing career impacted this, and what types of strategies he pulled from specific bench bosses he's worked with.
"I think having played for Ken Hitchock, he was an incredible hockey mind, especially knowing the fact he didn't play at a higher level. So his hockey acumen, the way he saw the game was incredible and it really opened my eyes to the game — taught me a lot. And then playing for Todd McLellan in San Jose, kind of put it all together for me in terms of his ability to teach you the system, and his communication. I just found that there were never any gray areas with him, and I realized how important the two works — it's great that you have a plan and you know what you want to do, but if you can't communicate that plan then it's all for naught. I think those two are the guys I lean towards when I talk about who influenced my coaching career."
Whichever coaches end up behind the bench for Vancouver and Abbotsford next season will be expected to bring both a skilled level of communication as well as an ability to help players learn from their mistakes. Both elements are essential to helping Vancouver's youth develop properly as they traverse their way through the upcoming rebuild.
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