Rangers Daily: Former Blueshirt named Canucks coach; Stanley Cup predictions
After nearly landing the gig a year ago, former New York Rangers first-round pick Manny Malhotra was named coach of the Vancouver Canucks on Monday night.
The hiring of Malhotra was not unexpected, though in this business you never truly know until you know. Malhotra replaces Adam Foote, who beat him out for the job last offseason, but only lasted one year behind the Canucks bench. And what a miserable year it was.
The Canucks finished last overall in the NHL with 58 points, 14 fewer than the Chicago Blackhawks, who were the No. 31 overall team. Then Vancouver lost the NHL Draft Lottery, falling to the third overall pick, despite having the best odds to land the No. 1 pick.
Malhotra, who coached AHL Abbotsford to the Calder Cup championship in 2025 and spent two years running the Canucks top minor league affiliate, was previously a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant. That followed a 16-year playing career as a solid two-way center, after the Rangers made him the No. 7 overall pick in the 1998 draft.He played 991 NHL games with the Rangers, Dallas Stars, Columbus Blue Jackets, San Jose Sharks, Canucks, Carolina Hurricanes, and Montreal Canadiens.
He’s now the third current coach in the NHL who played previously for the Rangers, joining Martin St. LOuis of the Canadiens and Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres.
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From the worst team this season to the two best, or at least the last two standing. The Stanley Cup Final begins Tuesday, the best-of-7 series opening up in Raleigh, North Carolina, where the Hurricanes host the Vegas Golden Knights.
Give credit where credit is due. Our John Kreiser, a veteran of more than 50 years covering the NHL, predicted this exact Final matchup back before the 2025-26 season began. He had the Golden Knights defeating the Hurricanes, and is sticking with that pick, predicting Vegas finishes the series off in six games.
I had the Hurricanes reaching the Stanley Cup Final in our annual predictions back in October, losing to the Dallas Stars. Now, I see the Hurricanes winning an extremely tight Cup Final over the Golden Knights in six games. For whatever it’s worth, PuckPedia’s Keith Kavanaugh also went with the Hurricanes in six games on the latest Rink Rap podcast.
SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! You can check out Keith and I on You Tube chopping it up about the Rangers offseason plans, NHL free agency, and the Cup Final by clicking here. Or you can listen the entire show below on Apple podcasts.
One final prediction, our Lou Orlando says Golden Knights in seven! Before season started, he had Stars over the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final.
New York Rangers news and analysis
Our John Kreiser breaks down the pros and cons of free agent forward Mason Marchment, from a Rangers point of view.
Analyzing why the Rangers “competitive window” and “long-term vision” are more important when it comes to considering free agent Alex Tuch than the expected inflated value of his expected contract.
Urho Vaakanainen is a champion! Well, not with the Rangers; but the defenseman did help Finland win gold at the IIHF World Championship.
NHL news and rumors
NHL.com: Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen enters the Stanley Cup Final with a heavy heart after the recent suicide of his agent, Claude Lemieux.
TSN: Pending UFA Patrik Laine explained that he was ready to play for the Canadiens down the stretch and in the playoffs after recovering from core-muscle surgery, but that he understood he wasn’t really an option with the team doing so well.
Sportsnet: Brendan Gallagher got emotional speaking with reporters at Montreal’s breakup day, conceding that he’s likely played his final game with the Canadiens despite having one more season left on his contract.
X: Pierre LeBrun reports that the Colorado Avalanche granted the Nashville Predators permission to speak with GM Chris McFarlane about a front office position.
Daily Faceoff: Anthony DiMarco makes the case for free agent John Carlson being a perfect fit with the Philadelphia Flyers.
New Jersey Hockey Now: With Mathew Barzal’s name popping up in trade rumors, James NIchols examines whether the Devils could pull off a trade with the Islanders to land the star forward.
ESPN: The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired forward prospect Jack Pridham from the Chicago Blackhawks in excahnge for a third-round draft pick. Pridham just helped Kitchener win the Memorial Cup, and will play in the NCAA next season.
