NHL RumorsNHL RumorsNHL Rumors
  • Rumors
  • Free Agency
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Skaters
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Left Wingers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Centers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Right Wingers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Left-Handed Defenseman
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Right-Handed Defenseman
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Goaltenders
  • NHL Trades
    • 2026 NHL Traded Draft Picks
    • 2025-26 NHL Trade Tracker
    • Trade Articles
    • 2024-25 NHL Trade Tracker
    • 2023-24 NHL Trade Tracker
  • Video
  • Teams
    • Atlantic Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Metropolitan Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Dallas Stars
      • Minnesota Wild
      • Nashville Predators
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Utah Mammoth
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • Pacific Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • About
    • Terms of Service
    • Contact
  • FAQ
Font ResizerAa
NHL RumorsNHL Rumors
Font ResizerAa
Search
  • Rumors
  • Free Agency
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Skaters
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Left Wingers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Centers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Right Wingers
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Left-Handed Defenseman
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Right-Handed Defenseman
    • 2026 NHL Free Agents – UFA Goaltenders
  • NHL Trades
    • 2026 NHL Traded Draft Picks
    • 2025-26 NHL Trade Tracker
    • Trade Articles
    • 2024-25 NHL Trade Tracker
    • 2023-24 NHL Trade Tracker
  • Video
  • Teams
    • Atlantic Division
    • Metropolitan Division
    • Central Division
    • Pacific Division
  • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • About
    • Terms of Service
    • Contact
  • FAQ
Follow US
© 2024 Medium Large Sports Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
NHL Free AgentsNHL Rumors

NHL Rumors: Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Vancouver Canucks

Mark Easson 05/20/2026
3 Min Read
Three Columbus Blue Jackets pending UFAs could head to market. Will Manny Malhotra be named the Vancouver Canucks next head coach, and could they draft his son at No. 3?
Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk (5) is congratulated by center Boone Jenner (38) and defenseman Erik Gudbranson (44) against the Carolina Hurricanes during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
SHARE

Three Columbus Blue Jackets pending UFAs could head to market

Mark Scheig: It may be looking like the Columbus Blue Jackets’ pending UFA forwards Boone Jenner and Mason Marchment, and defenseman Erik Gudbranson go to free agency on July 1st.

Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell is at the World Championships, but he did say that talks with their free agents will pick up at some point, and they could re-sign one or more of them. But after the re-signing of Charlie Coyle, the chances of Jenner, Marchment, and Gudbranson going to free agency are greater.

Will Manny Malhotra be the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, and could they draft his son at No. 3?

Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman, on if Manny Malhotra will be the next head coach of the Vancouver Canucks, and how would that impact their potential first-round pick, as Malhotra’s son Caleb could be on their radar with the No. 3 pick?

** NHLRumors.com transcription

Friedman: “They move pretty quickly on (Adam) Foote. You know, one of the challenges about getting to know the Canuckss for office now is, there’s not a lot of resume to look at and say, ‘This is how they act,’ but their first decision is pretty fast. They could make this decision fast, too.

NHL News: Canucks, Golden Knights, Offer Sheet Compensation, and the Kraken

I mean, like, to me, we talked about the familiarity. There’s nobody they know better. If he’s ready to coach in the NHL, then nobody knows it more than the three of those guys.

I’ll tell you something else too. The other answer to me that I thought today was really telling was they were asked about Caleb Malhotra. And you know, I’ll say this: there are teams out there who think that he’s a very serious candidate to be drafted by Vancouver. That this isn’t, you know, just lip service. Like they believe it’s real that if he’s there, he’s, he’s, he legitimately could be drafted by the Canucks.

And when Ryan Johnson was asked about it, and it was a really good question, he didn’t say, ‘you know we’ve got to talk to Manny about it and see how he feels.’ He said, ‘I’m not worried about that.’ I thought that was an interesting answer.

We had to restart our X account. Please follow @MyNHLRumorsX

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? Rumor roundups and hot topics from around the league. We’re also posting some stuff on Instagram.

If you love our reporting, choose NHLrumors.com as a preferred source on Google.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
TAGGED:Boone JennerCaleb MalhotraColumbus Blue JacketsErik GudbransonManny MalhotraMason MarchmentVancouver Canucks
Subscribe to NHLRumorsOfficial Youtube Channel

2025-26 Critical Dates

Apr. 16: Regular Season Ends
Apr. 18: Stanley Cup Playoffs begin
May 5th?: 2026 NHL Draft Lottery
June 21: Last possible day for 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs
June 26-27: 2026 NHL Draft
July 1: Free agency begins (12 p.m. ET)

NHL Rumors to your inbox.

NHLrumors Logo

Categories

  • Rumors

Information

  • Advertise
  • FAQ
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Get breaking NHL News direct to your inbox.

© 2026 Medium Large Sports Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.