The Vancouver Canucks are putting a lot on Caleb Malhotra’s shoulders, and the early signs point to a clean fit.
After a 2025-26 season that left them at the bottom of the NHL, the Canucks moved on to former role player Manny Malhotra as their new head coach. Then, after sliding two spots in the NHL Draft lottery, they used the No. 3 overall pick in June’s 2026 Draft on Manny’s son Caleb, who was widely viewed as the best center available.
Caleb Malhotra’s junior résumé is hard to miss. He put up 84 points in 67 regular-season games for the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs last season, finishing with 28 goals and 55 assists. His time in the OHL is over now, though, because he is committed to Boston University for next season at the NCAA level, whether he breaks camp with Vancouver or not.
On Thursday’s episode of The Sheet, host Jeff Marek spoke with Brantford Bulldogs general manager Spencer Hyman about Malhotra’s game, his junior career, and why he looks like such a natural match for a Canucks organization trying to climb back toward contention.
Hyman made it clear just how much Malhotra meant to Brantford, saying: “Caleb is always and forever going to be a (Brantford) Bulldog. We’re so proud of him.
You know, I think the draft couldn’t have worked out more perfect for him. I texted (Canucks GM) Ryan Johnson after the draft and just said, ‘Congrats.
You got not only a superstar hockey player but a superstar human. And I know you know that.’
And he texted me back saying, ‘I wasn’t leaving without him.’ So he’s going to a place that understands who he is and that loves him.
And he loves them back.
“And I couldn’t think of a better match for him. He’s a special person.
He’s a special player. And I’m really excited to watch him at Boston University this year and then go through his career and into the NHL and watch him score goals against my brother (Edmonton Oilers Zach Hyman) and the fun little rivalry between them, which would be pretty cool.”
In Other News...
Petterssons Latest Video Has Canucks Fans Wondering Whats Really Going On
Elias Petterssons offseason clip from Los Angeles was enough to light up Canucks social media and, naturally, send trade speculation into overdrive. Any time a player of his stature is spotted away from Vancouver, fans start connecting dots, especially with the league always humming with contract chatter, roster movement and the kind of noise that tends to follow a star in transition.
But the more immediate explanation appears to be far less dramatic than a blockbuster coming together. The trip to Los Angeles is being viewed as a personal offseason choice rather than a sign that something is close on the trade front, which should calm at least some of the panic around one of Vancouvers most watched players. For now, the video says more about how quickly the rumour mill can spin than it does about Petterssons future. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Add Another Young Blue-Line Option Fans Can Track
The Abbotsford Canucks have added another young name to the organizations defensive pipeline, signing Isaac Belliveau to a one-year AHL contract. Belliveau arrives with a bit of pro experience already on his rsum, having spent the past few seasons bouncing between the AHL and ECHL after starting his development in the QMJHL and signing a three-year entry-level deal with Pittsburgh in 2023.
For Vancouver fans, it is the kind of depth move that is easy to overlook but worth filing away, especially for a blue line that always needs competition and insurance. Belliveau was later traded to the Buffalo Sabres before not receiving a qualifying offer, and while he never reached the NHL with the Penguins, the 23-year-old now gets a fresh chance to carve out a role in Abbotsford and make himself a name worth monitoring. [Read more 🡒]
Elias Pettersson Trade Talk Leaves Canucks Facing One Big Problem
Elias Pettersson is still in Vancouver, and for now that remains the most important part of the Canucks offseason puzzle. Interest from multiple teams has existed around the league, and the trade conversation did pick up before cooling after the 2026 NHL draft, but the reality has always been that moving a player of Petterssons stature is not simple when the contract is sizable and the protections are built in.
The LA Kings, Carolina Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Penguins have all shown interest at various points, yet the market has not moved anywhere near a finish line. For Vancouver, the challenge is less about finding attention than finding a deal that fits, and with no agreement close, Petterssons situation still hangs over the roster as one of the more complicated decisions in front of the organization. [Read more 🡒]