Canucks hire Malhotra as coach, add Gallagher, Oleksiak

After the NHL Draft, free agency and other offseason moves, NHL.com is examining where each team stands in preparation for the 2026-27 regular season, which starts Sept. 29 Today, the Vancouver Canucks:

2025-26 season: 25-49-8, finished eighth in the Pacific Division; missed Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Key arrivals

Brendan Gallagher, F: Acquired in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens for future considerations on June 29. The 34-year-old had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 77 regular-season games, and one goal in three Stanley Cup Playoff games for Montreal last season. He played 14 seasons there. … Jamie Oleksiak, D: Signed a two-year contract July 1. The 33-year-old had 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in 78 games last season with the Seattle Kraken. ... Luke Schenn, D: The 36-year-old signed a one-year contract July 1. He had seven points (one goal, six assists) in 46 games with the Winnipeg Jets and did not have a point in four regular-season and two playoff games with the Buffalo Sabres. It will be his third stint with the Canucks (2018-19, 2021-23). ... Paul Cotter, F: Signed a one-year contract July 1. The 26-year-old had 15 points (nine goals, six assists) in 79 games with the New Jersey Devils last season. ... Manny Malhotra, coach: Was hired June 1 to replace Adam Foote, who was fired May 19 after one season. Malhotra coached Abbotsford, the Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, the past two seasons, including a Calder Cup championship in 2025. He previously was an assistant for the Canucks (2017-20) and Toronto Maple Leafs (2020-24). He spent three (2010-13) of his 16 NHL seasons as a forward for Vancouver. ... Ryan Johnson, general manager: Hired May 14 to replace Patrik Allvin, who was fired April 17. Johnson has worked in various roles for the Canucks since 2013, including nine seasons as GM of their AHL franchise and Vancouver assistant GM the previous two seasons. He was hired the same day Henrik and Daniel Sedin were named co-presidents of hockey operations.

Key departures

Teddy Blueger, F: Signed a two-year contract with the Maple Leafs on July 1. The 31-year-old had 17 points (nine goals, eight assists) in 35 games for Vancouver last season. ... Evander Kane, F: The 34-year-old had 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists) in 71 games last season. He remains an unrestricted free agent. ... Marcus Pettersson, D: Traded to the New York Rangers on July 1 for a conditional first-round pick in the 2030 NHL Draft. The 30-year-old had 18 points (three goals, 15 assists) in 82 games last season. ... Nils Hoglander, F: Traded to the Nashville Predators for a third-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft on June 29. The 25-year-old had five points (two goals, three assists) in 38 games last season.

On the Cusp

Ilya Safonov, F: The 25-year-old signed a one-year, two-way contract with Vancouver on June 2. He played the past seven seasons with Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia, and last season had 33 points (16 goals, 17 assists) in 68 games. He likely will start the season with Abbotsford but could be called up at some point. ... Arshdeep Bains, F: It might be the last chance for the 25-year-old to prove he can be a regular for the Canucks. Bains has played 49 games for Vancouver the past three seasons, and had five points (one goal, four assists) in 28 games last season. He also had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 34 games with Abbotsford. He is entering the last of a two-year contract he signed June 30, 2025. ... Sawyer Mynio, D: The 21-year-old had 21 points (three goals, 18 assists) in 58 games with Abbotsford last season. He was selected by Vancouver in the third round (No. 89) in the 2023 NHL Draft. ... Kirill Kudryavtsev, D: Selected by Vancouver in the seventh round (No. 208) of the 2022 NHL Draft. Kudryavtsev had two assists in three games for the Canucks last season and 20 points (two goals, 18 assists) in 44 games for Abbotsford. He was a member of its Calder Cup championship team in 2025.

What they still need

More offense. Vancouver was 31st in the NHL last season with 210 goals (2.56 goals per game). Only the Calgary Flames (208 goals; 2.54 per game) scored fewer. Forward Elias Pettersson was Vancouver's leading scorer with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) in 74 games, which tied him for 123rd in the League. Vancouver needs to score more goals and find a way to make up for the offense lost by trading defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12, 2025.

They said it

"Coming in now I'm a bit more of a veteran player and I've been around the League for a while and I can bring my experiences to the team and just show up every day with a good work ethic and try and help set the standard and work with some of these young players, and the veteran guys they also brought in as well. I think it's going to be a challenge, and as athletes it's always something we embrace and I'm really looking forward to it." -- Jamie Oleksiak 

EDGE stat to watch

Forward Jake DeBrusk led the NHL in high-danger shots on goal last season (121), edging second-place Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers (120), and finished tied for 10th in high-danger goals (22). DeBrusk's offensive prowess can be traced to his skating speed; he ranks highly among forwards in max skating speed (23.53 mph; 95th percentile) and 20-plus mph speed bursts (168; 89th percentile). -- Pete Jensen

Fantasy spin

Elias Pettersson continues to provide rare category coverage in standard fantasy leagues which count blocked shots; he was the only forward in the NHL with at least 50 points (51) and 100 blocks (108) last season, while also covering hits (67) and shots on goal (132). Filip Hronek, one of two Canucks defensemen in the fantasy top 200 rankings, provides a similarly unique fantasy profile; he was one of three NHL players last season (others: Mattias Samuelsson, Moritz Seider) with at least 40 points (49), 100 blocks (100) and 100 hits (133). Hronek played all 82 games for the first time in his eight NHL seasons, and ranked fourth in average ice time (25:23 per game) after the Hughes trade last season. -- Troy Perlowitz

Projected lineup

Jake DeBrusk -- Elias Pettersson -- Linus Karlsson

Liam Ohgren -- Marco Rossi -- Brock Boeser

Drew O'Connor -- Filip Chytil -- Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Paul Cotter -- Aatu Raty -- Brendan Gallagher

Zeev Buium -- Filip Hronek

Jamie Oleksiak -- Tom Willander

Elias Nils Pettersson -- Luke Schenn

Thatcher Demko

Kevin Lankinen