The Toronto Maple Leafs have missed out on another coaching candidate, with reports that Manny Malhotra is signing with the Vancouver Canucks.
According to Frank Seravalli, the Canucks are set to make Malhotra the 23rd head coach in franchise history. Malhotra was most recently the head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League. Now, he will get a chance to coach the big club and work alongside some of his former teammates in the Sedin twins and Ryan Johnson.
Malhotra signs with Vancouver, narrows Maple Leafs' coaching options
While it is great to see another fresh face behind an NHL bench, it is unfortunate for the Toronto Maple Leafs. They have lost out on another strong coaching candidate, which narrows their search.
This past weekend, they were made aware that David Carle had politely rejected the head coaching job, and now, just over 24 hours later, Malhotra comes off the board.
For many Maple Leafs fans, there was a sense that they were hoping the organization would hire him as the next head coach. With him being a fresh face, it would have allowed him to connect with some of the younger players on the team. However, now he gets a chance to coach a rebuilding Canucks team and also has the potential to coach his son, Caleb, if they decide to draft him with the third overall pick.
With another name off the board, the coaching search is narrowing quite quickly. On top of that, there have been reports that Kris Knoblauch isn’t interested in a coaching job at this time, as well as reports that Jay Woodcroft hasn’t been interviewed and isn’t in the plans for the Maple Leafs.
As it stands right now, we know that Derek Lalonde and Mike Van Ryn have been interviewed. There is also buzz suggesting that the Maple Leafs are monitoring Jared Bednar’s future in Colorado, and of course, the Vegas Golden Knights are blocking Bruce Cassidy from interviewing.
Despite the rumours circulating, it is evident that there are not many options remaining. It is clear that the Maple Leafs are doing their due diligence and interviewing potential candidates. The only question now is when their search for a new bench boss will conclude, and who it will be to lead the new era of Maple Leafs hockey.
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