The Chicago Blackhawks have the fourth overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. There are many ways the event could go, depending on who Chicago lands. A lot of it will hinge on who goes in front of them.
One of those teams, the Vancouver Canucks, made a coaching hire that could impact how things go for the Blackhawks at the draft.
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Late Monday night, the Canucks made it official: they had hired Manny Malhotra as their new head coach.
Of course, Malhotra played 159 games with the Vancouver Canucks during his 991-game NHL career. As a former 7th overall pick by the New York Rangers in 1998, he carved out a nice career as a bottom-six forward.
As a result of his role in the NHL, he learned how to become a winner without being one of the top guys offensively, which helped prepare him to eventually step into coaching. He will work with new GM Ryan Johnson and the newly appointed co-Presidents, Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
How does any of this impact the Chicago Blackhawks draft? Well, one of the prospects projected to go in the top five is Brantford Bulldogs center Caleb Malhotra, Manny’s son.
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Does hiring Manny make them think twice about taking his son, or does that make them want him more? Depending on what happens with the Toronto Maple Leafs and San Jose Sharks as the holders of the first two picks, it may not become known until draft night what Vancouver is thinking.
If Caleb ends up with Vancouver, that could create some awkward situations if either he or his father doesn’t work out as planned. It could also be an incredible success story involving a father and son.
Connor Bedard is a true center, but they are still trying to figure out Anton Frondell and Frank Nazar positionally. Manny Malhotra would help solve that, as he is a true center coming out of major junior. If he fell to the Blackhawks, he’d be a great fit.
No matter what, Caleb Malhotra won’t be in the NHL until the end of next season at the earliest. He is committed to playing at least one season at Boston University, where he will have tremendous success playing under Jay Pandolfo.
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If the Leafs take Gavin McKenna, the Sharks take a defenseman (they need a high-end defender in their pipeline badly), and the Canucks end up with the younger Malhotra, that would leave the highly touted Ivar Stenberg for Chicago. The Blackhawks could also end up with one of the top-rated defensemen as well.
Either way, they are getting a great prospect that will need time developing, but this news could certainly impact which one they get.
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