Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that the Toronto Maple Leafs are set to hire Manny Malhotra as an assistant coach. He is currently working with the Vancouver Canucks but will depart his position there to join the Leafs.
Malhotra has played more than 1,000 NHL games but retired in 2016 with injuries that shortened his playing career. Now 40, he scored 295 points in the NHL but was known more as a checking center and faceoff specialist. Malhotra likely factored into Vancouver’s improved faceoff percentages and was reportedly well-liked by the players. This will be a big loss.
Credit to where it’s due, this was a classy thing for the Canucks to do, not standing in the way of a promotion. He’ll go from being an eye in the sky in Vancouver to a bench position in Toronto. Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said of the hiring, “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 said of his time in Vancouver:
“I’m very grateful to the Canucks organization for the opportunity given to me to start my coaching career. It was truly a great experience to learn from Travis Green and the rest of his staff. I’m now very excited for this opportunity with the Leafs moving forward – to be working with Sheldon, his staff and this young, talented team.”
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Bruce Boudreau Now Out as Assistant?
This news likely takes former head coach Bruce Boudreu out of the equation when it comes to an vacany in Toronto. There were rumors Boudreu was looking for a head coaching job but considered assistant coaching because it would have been with the Leafs, where he is a hometown product.
Whether or not Boudreau gets another shot in the NHL as a head coach will be interesting to see. This is longest he’s been out of work as a coach.
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