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Canucks' Caleb Malhotra draft decision goes back much further than hiring his dad Manny

Canucks' Caleb Malhotra draft decision goes back much further than hiring his dad Manny originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Vancouver Canucks wanted to end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, but the lottery didn't do them any favors, so they'll pick in the No. 3 spot.

There'll still be talented players available, although likely no Gavin McKenna.

Instead, they'll have to decide what to do with Caleb Malhotra.

Malhotra is a talented young center, but things are made that much more interesting for the Canucks because his dad is Manny Malhotra, Vancouver's new head coach.

So does that help or hurt the cause? There's probably cases to be made on both sides.

In this situation, though, the Canucks were already on Malhotra before promoting his dad from the AHL ranks.

The Athletic's Scott Wheeler wrote in a new mock draft that Caleb Malhotra is who he thinks the Canucks will pick, and it's because he thinks they've been after him for months.

"I’ve reported pretty extensively on this connection for months, and if the Canucks take Malhotra — and I have been led to believe he’s atop their list at No. 3 — I’ll say this: Their interest in him has been a season-long one and precedes them zeroing in on his dad, Manny, as their head coach," Wheeler writes. "I believe they also like (Chase) Reid, and know they did their due diligence on Keaton Verhoeff and company, but I’ll be surprised if it’s not Malhotra."

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The Canucks aren't in a spot to draft for need. They're mired in a big rebuild. They have to take the best player available -- yes, even if he's the son of their head coach.

Malhotra is the best center in the draft class, a group that is generally weak at that key position -- but a position that is crucial to get right.

For the Canucks, Malhotra could work out nicely, and they've looked into him long enough to trust their long-term judgment.