The Vancouver Canucks need a new coach after parting with Adam Foote, but Manny Malhotra is not the only option. Here are three potential options for the Pacific Division club.
The Vancouver Canucks fired coach Adam Foote and assistant coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean on Tuesday.
"It's less about change and the past and more about implementing something for the future," new Canucks GM Ryan Johnson told reporters Tuesday. "Speaking with them this morning, it just felt from the organization the alignment and what we were looking for that just wanted a new voice and a new group to come in and start this next era of the franchise."
With the Canucks finishing this past season at the bottom of the NHL standings and kicking off a rebuild, it is clear that their next coach will have a tough task in front of them. But Johnson knows what he's looking for in a new bench boss.
"Consistency, patience, the ability to connect with a young group and realize that we can't blanket players, that they each have their own path, their own journeys that you got to be attentive to," Johnson said.
Let's look at three options the Canucks should consider for their coaching gig.
Manny Malhotra
Manny Malhotra is a clear candidate to watch for the Canucks' coaching job.
The 46-year-old is already with the Canucks organization as the coach of their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. He led Abbotsford to the Calder Cup championship in 2024-25, his first season in that role.
With this and Malhotra also previously serving as an assistant coach for Vancouver, he is undoubtedly standing out as an early front-runner for the Canucks' head coaching job.
"It's hard to be ignorant of an internal candidate that we obviously have, so I'm not going to deflect that," Johnson said. "Manny has shown his ability to develop young players, to build a connection and obviously win a championship with a very young group. So, won't be ignorant to the fact that I am going to speak with him, sit down with him and talk about the future."
The Mississauga, Ont., native simply looks ready to be an NHL coach at this point in his career. The two-way, penalty-killing forward led by example as a player and can impart those qualities on the players.
David Carle
It would not be terribly surprising if the Canucks expressed interest in David Carle for their coaching job. The 36-year-old has done so well in college hockey and at the world juniors that he'll be a coaching candidate for most openings, but whether he wants to leave the stability of his NCAA program for a typically unstable job is up to him.
Nevertheless, Carle would be an exciting young coach for the Canucks to bring in as they continue the early stages of their rebuild.
Carle has done an outstanding job at the University of Denver. He just won his third NCAA title since 2022, and he won world junior gold twice with Team USA. There is a lot to like about the Anchorage, Ala., native, who has clear experience working with a young group.
Jay Woodcroft
If the Canucks want to hire someone who has already led a bench in the NHL, Jay Woodcroft could make sense for the Pacific Division club.
The 49-year-old is currently an assistant coach with the Anaheim Ducks, but his strong resume makes him one of the most interesting coach candidates in the NHL right now.
While Woodcroft had a tough finish to his stint as the Edmonton Oilers' coach, he still did well in the role overall. He had a 79-41-13 record, including a 50-23-9 record after taking over in the 2022-23 campaign. Woodcroft showed he can turn a team around and work with players up and down the lineup, no matter how good they are.
It seems like only a matter of time before he gets his next chance as a head coach in the NHL.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.