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Manny Malhotra

Coaching Notes: Ducharme, Tocchet, Seattle, Toronto

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Following up on the positive COVID-19 test of Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Dominique Ducharme, Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston was the first to report that Ducharme will indeed miss the next two weeks as a result. Although the NHL has relaxed many rules pertaining to its COVID Protocol, a positive test still warrants a 14-day isolation period. Especially when the Canadiens were fortunate enough to not have any other positive tests among its players and staff, the league wants to maintain the health and safety of the team as well as the integrity of its semifinals. With that said, losing Ducharme is a blow for Montreal. The interim coach has led the team on an unexpectedly triumphant playoff run as the mid-season interim replacement for Claude Julien. The Habs will now lean on an interim interim head coach in assistant Luke Richardson, who coached the team to a Game Three win. Assuming Ducharme’s 14-day isolation began on Friday when the positive test was discovered, the earliest he can return to the bench would be Friday, July 2nd. Montreal’s semifinal series with the Vegas Golden Knights, if it even goes seven games, will end on Saturday, June 26th, nearly a week before Ducharme ends his isolation. Richardson and the Canadiens will need to string together a couple more semifinal wins and potentially even a Stanley Cup Final win or two if Ducharme is to coach again this season. It’s terrible luck for Ducharme, who had received both doses of his vaccination and told the media this morning that contact tracing has been unable to determine how he might have contracted the virus as he did not break any protocol.

  • Seattle Kraken GM Ron Francis keeps things notoriously close to the vest and his ongoing coaching search is no different. Other than Rick Tocchet, who has interviewed for a number of vacancies so far making his bid for Seattle’s inaugural head coach role more public, there is not much known about who else may be a finalist for the job. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that Francis brought a few candidates to Seattle this week for in-person interviews, but could only confirm Tocchet as one – his third interview for the position. Friedman speculates that recently fired New York Rangers head coach David Quinn, Boston Bruins assistant Joe Sacco, and University of Wisconsin Tony Granato could be the other names in the mix. Tocchet certainly seems like the favorite at this point, but don’t be shocked if Francis ends up making a surprise hire.
  • Friedman also notes that other NHL teams are interested in Toronto Maple Leafs assistant coaches and have requested permission to speak with them. Friedman does not name any coaches in particular, but of their group of assistants former head coaches Dave Hakstol and Paul MacLean could certainly be drawing interest, as could up-and-comer Manny Malhotra. At this time, the Maple Leafs have not made any decisions on if they will allow their assistants to explore these opportunities, especially since they are likely to be lateral moves.

Toronto Maple Leafs Hire Manny Malhotra

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The Toronto Maple Leafs lost an assistant coach earlier this year when Paul McFarland decided to return to the OHL and take a job running the Kingston Frontenacs, but have found his replacement. The Maple Leafs have hired Manny Malhotra, who has spent the last few seasons working with the Vancouver Canucks. Head coach Sheldon Keefe released a statement on his new assistant:

The work ethic, character, intelligence and attention to detail that made Manny the ultimate teammate when he played are all assets that have translated to his coaching. That, combined with his charisma and communication skills, make us really excited to have him join the organization. On behalf of the Leafs, I’d like to thank Travis Green, Jim Benning and the Canucks organization for the opportunity to speak with Manny.

Malhotra, a veteran of more than 1,000 NHL games, is still relatively new to the coaching world having just retired from playing in 2016. The 40-year-old scored just 295 points in the NHL but was a hard-nosed checking center that was always among the leaders in faceoff percentage. He received votes for the Selke Trophy on many occasions, even finishing fifth in 2011.

He was hired by the Canucks in 2017 as a development coach, meaning his move to Toronto will actually be a step up and takes him a little closer to being an NHL head coach. It comes with the added benefit of a homecoming, given Malhotra is from Mississauga, just outside of Toronto.

David Singh of Sportsnet did a long feature on Malhotra earlier this summer, noting that “several people within the industry peg him as a rising star in the coaching ranks” but that he would also need some time behind the bench as an assistant at some point. That time appears to be now with the Maple Leafs.

Toronto had been linked to several other names around the league, including former Minnesota Wild head coach Bruce Boudreau, but according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic decided to go with Malhotra instead. Rocky Thompson, another coach they spoke with, is likely heading to the San Jose Sharks to join Bob Boughner’s staff.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet broke the news on Twitter. 

Vancouver Canucks Announce Full Coaching Staff

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Following in the flurry of coaching news, the Vancouver Canucks have announced their full coaching staff for the 2017-18 season. New head coach Travis Green will be joined by Newell Brown, Nolan Baumgartner, Doug Jarvis and Manny Malhotra as assistant coaches, while Dan Cloutier will return as goalie coach. Glenn Carnegie and Ben Cooper will also be part of the staff in skills development and video respectively.

Green will attempt to take Canucks in a direction rarely seen in Vancouver as they begin to truly rebuild the franchise for the first time since the Sedin twins were drafted in 1999. He’ll be joined by a good mix of experienced and up-and-coming names, as the team tries to build a new identity behind some of their younger players. Brown was fired by the Arizona Coyotes recently after four years in the desert, but has 20 years as an NHL assistant to his name. Baumgartner will follow Green from Utica for the first NHL opportunity of his coaching career. The former Canucks defenseman actually had the best season of his playing career in Vancouver, when he registered 34 points in 70 games during 2005-06 for the club. He would only play 73 other NHL games and record 13 points over his career, making his stop in Vancouver a memorable one.

The announcement comes as something of a promotion for Malhotra, as he had previously been listed as a development coach in the organization. The long-time NHL center will still have to wait for a chance behind an NHL bench however, as only Brown and Baumgartner will be there during the game. Another former Canucks player, Malhotra was part of the team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2011, but missed most of the playoffs after a scary eye injury that nearly ended his career. His return in game two of the finals is one of the most memorable moments for any Canucks fan of the last decade.

 

West Notes: Hanzal, Stone, Malhotra

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The Coyotes are planning to discuss a contract extension with center Martin Hanzal in the coming weeks, Sarah McLellan of AZ Central reports.  GM John Chayka noted that they plan to sit down with Hanzal’s representatives before training camp gets underway later this month.

Hanzal has spent his entire nine year career with the Coyotes.  He had a career year offensively last season, scoring 13 goals and 28 assists in just 64 games, setting career highs in both assists and points in the process.  He also won an impressive 56% of his faceoffs, putting him in a tie for 15th league wide amongst players who took at least 300 draws last season.

The 29 year old is entering the final season of a five year deal that carries a cap hit of $3.1MM with a salary of $3.5MM for 2016-17 and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Hanzal is likely to begin next season in a top six role and a repeat of his 2015-16 campaign would have him in line for a sizable raise should he make it to the open market next offseason.

[Related: Coyotes Depth Chart]

Elsewhere in the West:

  • More from McLellan, Arizona blueliner Michael Stone has begun skating after having surgery to repair his left ACL and MCL back in April. He isn’t yet to participate in any informal scrimmages but is still hoping to be ready for their season opener on October 15th.  Stone is coming off a career year, recording 36 points in 75 games last season which earned him a one year, $4MM deal this offseason.  Like Hanzal, Stone is also eligible to become a UFA in July although the team can’t sign him to any extension until January 1st at the earliest.
  • Fresh off his retirement, Manny Malhotra is looking to get into coaching, writes Jeff Paterson of the Vancouver Province. Malhotra noted earlier this offseason that a couple of teams had reached out to them; one of those is the Vancouver Canucks.  Malhotra spent parts of three seasons with Vancouver from 2010-11 to 2012-13.  GM Jim Benning acknowledged that they are in talks with Malhotra, telling Paterson that, “He was a good player for the team for a number of years, and he’s a guy who had a special set of gifts that he offered on faceoffs and penalty killing.  He was a good leader on those teams that were successful. So we’re currently looking into seeing if there is a fit with our organization.”  

Manny Malhotra Retires

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Manny Malhotra, a veteran of 991 NHL regular season games, has officially retired today according to a tweet from Elite Prospects. Drafted seventh overall by the New York Rangers in the first round of the 1998 entry draft would eventually see time seven different NHL organizations during a career which spanned 16 seasons. His last action in the league came during the 2014-15 campaign when he made 58 appearances with the Montreal Canadiens.

Malhotra never lived up to the lofty expectations after being drafted by the Rangers but still carved out a respectable career as a top notch faceoff specialist and penalty-killer. For his career, Malhotra won better than 56% of the draws he took. He also scored 116 goals and 295 points in the NHL.

On March 16, 2011 Malhotra was hit by a puck in the left eye while playing for the Vancouver Canucks. He would miss the rest of that season and all but nine games in 2012-13 before the Canucks placed the veteran pivot on IR, citing the danger involved due to Malhotra’s limited vision. Malhotra would return to the NHL, converting an invitation to camp by Carolina into a job with the Hurricanes. He would go on to appear in 69 games that season and tallied 13 points while winning nearly 60% of his faceoffs.

Malhotra attempted to extend his NHL career, accepting a PTO with the Lake Erie Monsters – the Columbus Blue Jackets AHL affiliate – skating in 23 contests and scoring four goals with two assists. He was released from his PTO in March of 2016 and didn’t appear in another professional game.

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