Canucks Finalize Their Coaching Staff with Some Surprises
The Vancouver Canucks have officially completed Manny Malhotra’s coaching staff for the upcoming season, but one thing stands out about the group joining him behind the bench. This is a young and inexperienced coaching staff at the NHL level, which is an interesting direction for a team entering a rebuild.
The Canucks announced that Ryan Mougenel, Jordan Smith, and Jason Krog will join Malhotra as assistant coaches, while Andrew Shaw will serve as an assistant video coach. The only returning member from last season’s staff is goaltending coach Marko Torenius. While each coach brings experience from different levels of hockey, none of Malhotra’s assistants have previously held an NHL coaching role.
The Canucks have clearly decided to take a different approach behind the bench.
That makes Vancouver’s group one of the league’s least-experienced coaching staffs heading into the season. However, there is also familiarity built into the hires. Smith worked with Malhotra in Abbotsford over the past two seasons, while Krog has spent time in the Canucks organization as a skills coach after a long playing career that included time with Vancouver. The organization appears to be betting on communication and familiarity as it continues through its rebuild.
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For the Canucks, the bigger question is whether this inexperienced group can grow alongside a young roster. Rebuilding teams often require patience, development, and strong communication, and Vancouver appears to be giving Malhotra a staff that understands the organization and its younger players.
The results will ultimately be judged on the ice, but the message from Vancouver is clear: this is a coaching group built for the franchise's next stage, not a quick fix.
The bottom line for the Canucks.
In the end, this is a bit of a fascinating experiment for the Canucks. They are not bringing in a bunch of big-name coaches with long NHL resumes. They are bringing in people they believe fit the direction they want to go. Will it work? Nobody knows that yet.
But rebuilding teams are often about finding the right people to grow with the players, and Vancouver seems to be betting that this group can develop together. The next few years will tell us whether this was a smart move or a risky one, but it will definitely be interesting to watch.