Vancouver Canucks Set to Lose AHL Head Coach Manny Malhotra After Historic Calder Cup Run

Last summer, the Vancouver Canucks brought brought Manny Malhotra back to the organization to become the next Head Coach of their AHL affiliate in Abbotsford.

Malhotra did a fantastic job in his first career Head Coaching role, leading the Abbotsford Canucks to a Calder Cup championship after a strong regular season where they finished with a 44-24-2-2 record.

In late April, the Vancouver Canucks were informed that Rick Tocchet would not be returning as Head Coach, leading Patrik Allvin to search for a new bench boss.

Manny Malhotra's work with the Abbotsford Canucks put him in contention for the vacancy in Vancouver, but ultimately, Patrik Allvin decided to promote Adam Foote to the role of Head Coach, which confused many fans of the Vancouver Canucks.

With Abbotsford's season now over and Manny Malhotra a Calder Cup champion in his first season as a Head Coach, there's no doubt he's going to garner interest from other clubs around the National Hockey League, potentially even the Dallas Stars.

It too early to say for certain, as this can only be answered by results on the ice in the coming years, but the Vancouver Canucks could come to regret the decision to not name Manny Malhotra as their next bench boss.

If Manny Malhotra ends up leaving the organization, it wouldn't surprise anyone, however it would be a massive blow to the Abbotsford Canucks and their chances of winning the Calder Cup in back-to-back years.

While Canucks fans may have wanted him back behind the bench in the NHL, in an elevated role compared to last time he was in Vancouver, everyone needs to rally behind Adam Foote and support him as he has a big task ahead of him - getting the team to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.