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Former New York Rangers 1st-round Draft Pick loses solid chance to become a head coach

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Joshua Deeds
May 14, 2025 (9:01 PM)

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The Vancouver Canucks decided to hire Adam Foote to coach the team today. As it seems, former 1st-round pick of the New York Rangers, Manny Malhotra, will have to keep pursuing opportunities elsewhere in the league.

It seems the job was never his to take in Vancouver, as after a short search the Canucks found their man, in current Canucks Assistant Coach, Adam Foote.

Now, stuck in Abbotsford, Malhotra will have to keep pursuing opportunities in the league elsewhere, as the vacuum left by Tocchet is filled.

Malhotra hasn't doesn't a terrible job in the AHL with the Abbotsford Canucks, as this season he's taken them to the Calder Cup playoffs with a record of 44-24-2-2, 2nd in the Pacific Division.

His postseason record isn't too spiffy eof 5-2. After tearing through their enemies in Tucson and Coachella Valley, they'll face off against the Colorado Eagles in the Western Conference Semifinals on Friday.

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As someone who was an assistant coach under Travis Green from 2017-2020, you'd think Malhotra would have more of a shot at the gig than, say, Adam Foote.

However, it remains to be seen what the reason for the snub was.

«It didn't take me long to think that if Manny wanted to, he could be [an NHL head coach] because he's willing to put in the work and has a strong delivery in how he talks to the team,» Green told Postmedia this week.

«I like the way he thinks the game on both sides of the puck and he's an extremely hard worker. When you talk about all the things it takes to be a head coach - and being passionate about the game - it's not surprising he's being mentioned and that he became a head coach in the AHL

According to reports, the final decision was down to Malhotra and Foote.

Malhotra played a total of 991 NHL games with the Rangers, and began his career with the Rangers in 1998-99 at the age of 18 years old.

The former Ranger forward's always been known as someone who's had a high-hockey IQ, and reliable face-off skills in the circle at 56.4%.

He's played for several NHL teams during his career, including the Canucks from 2010-2013. His last four years before joining the Abbotsford Canucks as a Head Coach was spent as an assistant in Toronto under Sheldon Keefe, and the Maple Leafs.

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POLL
MAI 14 \| 853 ANSWERS Former New York Rangers 1st-round Draft Pick loses solid chance to become a head coach Do you think Assistant Coach Manny Malhotra of the Abbotsford Canucks deserved the Vancouver Canucks Head Coaching job?
Yes	511	59.9 %
No	342	40.1 %
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Former New York Rangers 1st-round Draft Pick loses solid chance to become a head coach

The Vancouver Canucks decided to hire Adam Foote to coach the team today. As it seems, former 1st-round pick of the New York Rangers, Manny Malhotra, will have to keep pursuing opportunities elsewhere in the league.

Do you think Assistant Coach Manny Malhotra of the Abbotsford Canucks deserved the Vancouver Canucks Head Coaching job?