The Vancouver Canucks fired head coach Adam Foote and his coaching staff earlier today.
When news broke earlier today that Vancouver Canucks head coach Adam Foote and the rest of his coaching staff — Kevin Dean, Scott Young, and Brett McLean — were fired, the first name likely on many peoples’ minds was Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.
It’s no secret that the Canucks had a severely disappointing 2025–26 season, and that first-time head coach Foote was dealt a difficult hand to play with the team’s injuries and personnel changes. As new Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson has reiterated since being hired, it wasn’t easy for Foote to come in at the team’s current position.
“It’s less about change and the past and more about implementing something for the future,” Johnson explained in a media availability today regarding Foote and his team’s firings. “Speaking with them this morning, it just felt for the organization, the alignment, and what we were looking for, just wanted a new voice and a new group to come in and start this next era of the franchise, and was less about what they did or didn’t do.”
The move clears the way for Malhotra, who is entering the final year of his contract with the Canucks organization in 2026–27, to take the spot as Vancouver’s new head coach. The former Canuck was rumoured to have been a candidate for the team’s vacant position last year before they hired Foote, and now, Johnson confirms that he’ll be a person management will be talking to during their search.
“It’s hard to be ignorant of an internal candidate that we obviously have, so I’m not going to deflect that Manny has shown his ability to develop young players, to build a connection, and obviously win a championship with a very young group,” he said. “I won’t be ignorant to the fact that I am going to speak with him, sit down with him, and talk about the future.”
Johnson also noted that the potential of selecting Malhotra’s son, Caleb, during this year’s NHL Entry Draft won’t impact the organization’s decision when it comes to a head coach.
“I’m in no position to change or make decisions based off one or the other. There will be no sacrifice because of a father-son relationship.”
Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra watches his team from the bench during the first period of their game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.While Malhotra is undoubtedly the team’s leading candidate as of now, this doesn’t mean that the Canucks will be sticking solely to an internal hire when it comes to their head coach search. Johnson does have a list of traits that he’s looking for in the Canucks’ next head coach — whether that ends up being Malhotra or not will depend on the team itself.
“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’ve got to be attentive to.”
These are things Malhotra showcased greatly in this year’s 29th-place finish for Abbotsford, a team whose struggles fell in tandem with their NHL-affiliate.
“He showed the type of coach and person he is, not by winning a championship, it was navigating what he did last season with all the injuries,” Johnson noted. “He just never had a full team on the ice, but to see that, when you can rely on the foundation of the consistent environment and the coaching through the worst of times, and really continue to propel players forward, even though the wins and losses aren’t there, it tells you a lot about about him.”
Vancouver is now officially in the market for a new head coach. Whether that ends up being Malhotra is something that is yet to officially be determined, though all signs do seem to be pointing towards last year’s Calder Cup champion.
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