Following a drama-filled NHL season for the Vancouver Canucks, Rick Tocchet announced he wouldn’t be returning to Rogers Arena for the 2025-26 campaign, leaving Elias Pettersson and the Canucks without leadership behind the bench. However, reports indicate the coaching search in Vancouver has now narrowed down to two strong candidates, with a decision imminent.
The Canucks have missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in four of their last five NHL seasons, highlighting a clear concern for the front office, which has struggled to build a solid roster and find the right fit behind the bench.
As the Canucks head into a crucial offseason, one in which they can make or break their current core for the future, they must name a head coach before taking care of the other pending decisions on the roster.
Tocchet’s exit was deeply felt in Vancouver, acting as an ice-cold bucket of reality as the organization’s struggles, along with the infamous rift within the locker room, drove a coveted head coach out of town. It’s now up to Jim Rutherford and Patrick Allvin to find the best fit to guide Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and company in a crucial NHL season.
Assistant coach Manny Malhotra of the Toronto Maple Leafs arrive for the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at UBS Arena on December 11, 2023 in Elmont, New York
On that note, the coaching search might be nearing its final stage, fortunately as the new season will be in Vancouver before the Canucks know it, and reports state the franchise is down to two candidates to take over after Tocchet’s exit.
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According to reports from Patrick Johnston and Canucks Army, the next head coach of the Canucks will be either Adam Foote or Manny Malhotra, with the latter reportedly emerging as the frontrunner.
Both candidates know their way around the building
Both Foote and Malhotra have been in close proximity to the Canucks in recent years, and their two-horse race clearly signals that Vancouver’s front office is looking for a head coach who won’t be found flat-footed when stepping into the locker room at Rogers Arena.
Foote was an assistant coach on Tocchet’s staff and has been around the current roster, building relationships with them. However, signing him might virtually mean sticking with Tocchet’s playstyle. Although the Canucks would have wanted to do this, as they hoped to re-sign Tocchet, it did not lead to a postseason berth last season.
Assistant coach Adam Foote of the Vancouver Canucks looks on against the Chicago Blackhawks during the first period at the United Center on October 22, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Malhotra, on the other hand, was first a development coach after retiring ahead of the 2016-17 season. He became an assistant coach in 2017 and stayed in that role until 2020, when he joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in the same job. He returned to the organization in British Columbia in 2024 to become the head coach for AHL affiliate the Abbotsford Canucks.
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Both candidates offer their list of pros and cons, yet both have similarities as they have been in the organization for quite some time. Perhaps the main difference is that Malhotra has been in a head coach job more recently, while Foote last commanded a coaching staff in the Western Hockey League, as he coached the Kelowna Rockets from 2018-2020.
