Report: Sedins to bring in Father and Son combo?

Earlier today the Vancouver Canucks cleaned house, dismissing head coach Adam Foote and assistant coaches Scott Young, Kevin Dean and Brett McLean.

“We would like to thank Adam, Scott, Kevin, and Brett for all the work they did for us this season,” said new GM Ryan Johnson in a prepared statement. “It was a challenging year on several fronts and truthfully, Adam and his staff were dealt a very difficult hand. That said, as we head into a rebuild, our group feels new coaching voices are needed to chart the path forward. Establishing the proper environment and culture is a vital first step in creating a solid and authentic connection throughout the entire organization. At the start of next season, our coaches will need to do a lot of work with our players, to instill in them the traits and habits they will rely on moving forward. The process to bring in a new staff begins immediately.” 

Foote was the Canucks' head coach for just one season, one of the worst season's in the team's history. It's believed that Foote was hand-picked by former captain Quinn Hughes after Rick Tocchet departed the club in April 2025.

Now, with Hughes gone and with the team looking for a fresh start, it made little sense to retain Foote. All signs point to a promotion for AHL Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.

Malhotra has earned some interest around the NHL but the Canucks will get first crack at retaining the former Canucks forward turned head coach. In fact, Canucks insider Iain MacIntyre reports that "all signs point" to a Malhotra hiring in Vancouver.

After all, new Canucks GM Ryan Johnson and co-Presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin have considerable history with Malhotra and Malhotra has proven himself in the organization, culminating in an AHL Calder Cup championship in 2025.

“It's hard to be ignorant of an internal candidate that we obviously have, so I'm not going to deflect that,” Johnson said Tuesday. “Manny has shown his ability to develop young players, to build a connection and, obviously, win a championship with a very young group. I am going to speak with him, sit down with him, and talk about the future.

“I don't think I've got an expectation of how big that net (to find a new head coach) needs to be cast. Like I said, I don't want to be ignorant to you guys or anybody and say I'm not going to have a serious conversation with Manny. That's just the truth of it. I think those discussions may determine how big that net is cast. But I'm not ruling out anything. I've just got to go through the initial steps here.”

What's also interesting is that Johnson told reporters today that if/when they hire Malhotra, they won't shy away from drafting top prospect Caleb Malhotra 3rd overall in this summer's Entry Draft.

“I'm in no position to change or make decisions based off one or the other,” Johnson said of the Malhotras. “There will be no sacrifice (of priorities) because of a father-son relationship, I would say.”

Now, of course, the opportunity to draft Caleb only exists if the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks take the presumptive route of drafting Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg at 1st and 2nd overall, respectively. If either of those two players are available the Canucks, then they should jump at the chance to select them. However, if they get in a situation where they're looking at Caleb or defensemen Keaton Verhoeff or Carson Carels... well... that's where things get interesting.