3 Canucks Receive 2026 Lady Byng Votes
The results for the 2026 Lady Byng Trophy have been revealed.
Video Transcript
Of course, we've talked about him before.
Caleb Malhotra has been viewed as one of the top candidates, if not the top candidate, for the Canucks at number three.
And obviously, the Canucks have just hired his father, Manny, as head coach.
so when you look at that, do you think that the hiring of his father would complicate things?
Do you think it would be a benefit?
Do you think it would be, a disadvantage?
And aside from all of that, if you can separate those two things, do you think that Caleb Malhotra is the type of player that the Canucks should be looking to select if he is available at number three?
Well, I mean, it obviously creates, like, an interesting dilemma.
Like, let's just, like, we're not gonna sugarcoat this.
It's, it's gonna be a little bit weird in that locker room if Caleb Malhotra is drafted by the Canucks and Manny is his, Manny is his coach.
But Malhotra had an interesting, quote in his introduction press conference, which was, when his kids come up to him, they have to decide if they wanna talk to Dad Manny or Coach Manny.
And with, when it comes to hockey and Caleb, it's always Coach Manny.
So, I mean, I think that they've been working on this for a while.
Like, they may have, you know, figured that this situation could come up in the future, but I mean, Manny is the ultimate professional.
Like, I don't think he's gonna give his Caleb, like, two extra minutes just because, you know, it's, they have to go home to the same house together.
Like, I don't think that's gonna happen.
And I mean, we saw with, it's a little bit different, but, like, Rob Brind'Amour and his son, right?
Like, Brind'Amour's son was playing in the AHL.
Like, when he came up, he was getting under 10 minutes some nights just because Brind'Amour was like, "Yeah, it's cool to have my son here, but we need to win games."
like, that's the most important.
So it's an interesting situation.
I mean, Malhotra for me is, that's a not best player available at three.
That's the best, that's a positional pick.
I have, like, I get why there's a lot of people who like him, and I get why he's been in that conversation for three.
I think that there, that if you're gonna go for best player available, if McKend and Stenberg are taken, you got, like, there's two really strong right shot defensemen in Reid and Barhoff.
Like, those are guys that probably play a stronger role or a higher role than Malhotra at the NHL level.
But I mean, yeah, like, the kid, there's a reason why everybody has said n- positive things about Malhotra.
Like, he stepped up in the OHL.
He's considered a leader.
But like, you know, if we're talking about what he, like, what he probably is gonna be developed into, they already have Brayden Coutts in Vancouver.
Like, you're, you're kind of looking at another Brayden Coutts.
So at what point do you say, "Listen, we have Ziv.
Let's partner him up with a guy who could be a first line center," or, "Let's draft a guy who might be a second line, might be a third line cent-" Or yeah, Ziv with a r- a sorry, first line right shot defenseman, or are we gonna go get a second or third line center?
So that's really the, the conversation that I think is surrounding this whole, you know, third overall pick.
