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Canucks: Manny Malhotra says 'the quicker we get to our identity, the better things are going to look'

Seven straight losses are frustrating but Malhotra says 'we have to maintain our focus on getting ourselves out of it because we are really the only ones that are going to do it'

Published Oct 19, 2026  •  Last updated 2 hours ago  •  4 minute read

Coach Manny Malhotra says the Vancouver Canucks need to find their identity and stick with it. Photo by Arlen Redekop /PNG

Manny Malhotra isn’t sugar-coating his feelings about the Vancouver Canucks’ seven-game losing skid.

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“You look at the opponents that we had from Carolina to Florida to Tampa — teams that have established their structure and their team identity, and they stick to it. Obviously, we continue to talk about this as a work in progress,” Malhotra, Vancouver’s head coach, said after practice at Rogers Arena on Monday. “But the quicker we get to our identity and establishing what that identity is, the better things are going to look. 

“For me, what we’re more concerned with, and what we have to be more dialed in with, is the identity of our group in terms of how hard we play the game. Structures are one thing, but in terms of winning puck battles and tenacity and being in the right place and winning races and just being hungrier than your opposition, those are the types of things that have to be at the forefront of our game right now.”

Team co-presidents Daniel and Henrik Sedin and general manager Ryan Johnson along with Malhotra have made it clear that this season marked the start of a rebuild and that there were going to be difficult stretches along the way. Things have certainly become messy early, though.

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Vancouver hasn’t won since Oct. 3, when they beat the Calgary Flames 4-1 at Rogers Arena. They lost 3-2 at home the next night to the Vegas Golden Knights and then managed to secure just a single point via a 3-2 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers on a six-game road swing.

Vancouver has given up a league-worst 45 goals and their penalty kill sits in last place as well, working at just 58.1 per cent (13 goals against in 31 times short).

The Canucks are back home for a three-game home stand beginning Tuesday, but it’s a tall task for Vancouver (2-7-1) to start, with the reigning Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes (7-2-1) in town. Carolina beat Vancouver 7-2 on Oct. 8 in the opener of that just-completed sojourn.

Asked about getting his players to channel any frustration they have right now in a positive direction, Malhotra said that “I think it’s more just making them aware and understanding why these loses are piling up right now, and just giving them more of something to focus on.

“It’s frustrating for the guys to come to the rink and not feel the good vibes of winning,” he continued. “But, at the same time, we have to maintain our focus on getting ourselves out of it because we are really the only ones that are going to do it.”

Defenceman Elias Pettersson has been one of the bright spots of late for Vancouver. He’s been elevated to first-pairing status alongside Filip Hronek. Pettersson, 22, played at least 21 minutes in three of the past four games after playing under 17 minutes in four of the team’s first five contests. 

At the same time, rearguard Zeev Buium has seen his ice time scaled back. He played at least 20 minutes in each of the team’s first seven games, but hasn’t hit that mark in any of the past three. 

Buium, 20, is a smooth-skating, puck-moving blue-liner, but he’s had his sloppy moments with the puck this season. He’s tied for second on the team in giveaways (15).

Buium’s come under scrutiny from both the media and the fan base. He was already a central figure in the rebuild as part of the return in the Quinn Hughes trade, and that spot was amped up even more when he inked an eight-year, $75.04 million contract extension in September that kicks in next year.

The Canucks also made him an alternate captain this season, and he began the campaign on the top pair alongside Hronek. 

There’s been suggestion in the media that Buium needs time in the minors. And Malhotra took issue with a question Monday about how Buium was playing now that he was in a more “sheltered” role.

“You call it a sheltered role. He’s a 20-year-old defenceman learning the league,” Malhotra said. “So for all the words that I’ve heard thrown out there — demotion or sheltered role — he’s still learning his game, he’s learning the league. This is not something we didn’t expect to occur for a 20-year-old defenceman. This is just a part of the growing process for him.”

Malhotra admitted that Buium’s slow start to the season could “potentially” be tied to him feeling extra pressure after the contract signing and the like.

“But from our standpoint, we’ve made it very clear to him that we are we are focused on the long game,” Malhotra said. “The day to day of what pairing you’re on and how many minutes you’re getting, we don’t want to be real short-sighted in that regard and put pressure there. He understands that we are focused on his overall growth for Year Two, Three, Four, Five kind of thing.”

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SEwen@postmedia.com

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