Manny Malhotra

Malhotra played in the 1994 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the Mississauga Reps minor ice hockey team.[5] After his time in the Metro Toronto Hockey League (MTHL),[6] Malhotra was selected in the first round (17th overall) of the 1996 OHL Priority Selection, Malhotra played two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with the Guelph Storm, beginning in 1996–97. He scored 16 goals and 44 points over 61 games in his rookie season. In the 1997 playoffs, he added 14 points in 18 games as Guelph lost in the semi-finals to the Ottawa 67's.[7] The following season, he improved to 16 goals and 51 points over 57 games. He served as team captain while being assigned the primary role of shutting down opposing team's top forwards.[8][9] Guelph advanced to the OHL Finals, where they defeated Ottawa in five games to capture the J. Ross Robertson Cup.[10] Malhotra had 13 points in 12 games in the championship-winning playoff season. Earning a berth into the 1998 Memorial Cup, Guelph made it to the final, where they lost to the Portland Winter Hawks 4–3 in overtime.[11] Malhotra ranked third in tournament scoring with a goal and seven points over five games.[12] He was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team and was awarded the George Parsons Trophy as the tournament's most sportsmanlike player.[13]

In the off-season, Malhotra was drafted by the New York Rangers in the first round, seventh overall, of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft. The Rangers scouted him as a strong, physical player with good hockey sense and character, comparing him to Adam Graves.[9][14] He was surprised to have been selected by the Rangers, as they were one of the only teams to have not interviewed or met with him prior to the draft.[15] He anticipated being drafted by the Calgary Flames at sixth overall, as the team's general manager, Al Coates, had previously drafted him into the OHL as general manager of the Storm.[15]

With the 1998–99 approaching, Malhotra had not yet signed an NHL contract with the Rangers by October. League rules stipulated that if he did not sign by October 8, 1998, he would be required to return to junior for the entire campaign.[16] The night before the deadline, Malhotra and the Rangers agreed to a three-year deal worth the rookie-maximum of $975,000 with performance-based incentives that could have increased his salary to $2 million.[16] Making the immediate jump from junior to the NHL at age 18, he became the second player of Indian heritage to play in the NHL.[17] Malhotra recorded 8 goals and 16 points over 73 games as a rookie.

During the season, the Rangers were interested in acquiring Vancouver Canucks forward Pavel Bure.[18] It was reported that Canucks general manager Brian Burke had requested Malhotra to be involved in a trade that would have sent him along with Niklas Sundström, Dan Cloutier and the Rangers' first-round pick in the 1999 draft in exchange for Bure.[18] However, Rangers general manager Neil Smith refused to include Malhotra and the deal never materialized.[18]

The following season, Malhotra struggled to earn a regular spot on the Rangers' roster and was often a healthy scratch.[19] Rangers head coach John Muckler publicly declared before the beginning of Malhotra's second NHL campaign that he would be nothing more than a career third-liner.[20] Malhotra's potential was often at the centre of an ongoing dispute between Muckler and Smith.[21]

Malhotra suffered an ankle injury in November that sidelined him for four games.[22] Upon his recovery, his play was judged by team management to have suffered and he began to be benched.[22] Meanwhile, the Canadian national junior team wanted the Rangers to loan him to them for the 2000 World Junior Championships.[22] On December 12, 1999, general manager Neil Smith obliged and assigned Malhotra for the international tournament.[22] He was then sent for a two-week conditioning assignment with the Rangers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.[19] On March 14, 2000, he was sent back down to the OHL in order to retain his eligibility for later AHL assignment in the season.[23][24] Malhotra had dressed for only four games in the two months between his return from the World Junior Championships in early-January and his junior reassignment.[22] He was pointless in the 27 games total he played with the Rangers that season.

Returning to Guelph, he played in five regular season and six playoff games. Upon his junior club's first-round playoff elimination, he was reassigned to the Wolf Pack where he recorded 1 goal and 6 points over 12 games to finish the regular season.[23] He then added 3 points in 23 post-season contests, helping the Wolf Pack to the franchise's first Calder Cup championship.

Malhotra returned to the Wolf Pack the following season after failing to make the Rangers' roster out of training camp.[21] With New York deep at the centre position, his AHL assignment was predicated on him learning to play wing.[21] He received numerous call-ups to New York and finished the 2000–01 campaign with 11 points over 28 games in the AHL and 12 points over 50 games in the NHL. The season also marked a management change as Glen Sather took over as general manager, marking the departure of Smith, who had drafted Malhotra and regarded him as untradeable during his tenure.[20]

Fifty-six games into his 2001–02 season with the Rangers, Sather dealt Malhotra to the Dallas Stars at the trade deadline, along with winger Barrett Heisten, in exchange for forwards Martin Ručinský and Roman Lyashenko.[20] Although he had established himself as an effective forechecker and defensive forward, Malhotra did not materialize into the offensive player the Rangers hoped he would be.[25]

Malhotra welcomed the trade to Dallas as an opportunity for more playing time, as he was sparsely used with the Rangers.[20] However, he saw limited success with the Stars. Following his trade, he recorded one point, a goal, in 16 games to finish the 2001–02 season. He was re-signed by Dallas to a two-year contract on June 27, 2002.[13] In 2002–03, he recorded 10 points over 59 games. He appeared in his first Stanley Cup playoffs as the Stars qualified for the 2003 post-season as the top seed in the Western Conference.[26] They were eliminated in the second round by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.[26]

Malhotra during his tenure with San Jose

After going pointless in nine games early the following season, the Stars waived Malhotra on November 19, 2003.[13] Two days later, he was picked up by the Columbus Blue Jackets.[13] Malhotra improved with the Blue Jackets, notching 12 goals and 25 points over 56 games following the trade. He missed the final six games of the regular season with a bruised ankle.[13] His ice time rose from an average of nine minutes a game with Dallas the previous season to 14 minutes in Columbus.[27][28]

Due to the NHL lockout, Malhotra spent the 2004–05 season overseas in Europe. He initially signed with HDD Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia on October 8, 2004, and recorded 27 points over 26 games (including both Slovenian league and inter-league play).[13] On December 12, he signed with HV71 of the Swedish Elite League.[13] He notched seven points in 20 games with the club.

Returning to Columbus as NHL resumed play the following season, Malhotra spent 2005–06 centering Columbus' third line. Despite missing 24 games due to injury with back spasms in November and a shoulder injury in January,[13] he improved his points total for the second-straight NHL season with 10 goals and 21 assists. The Blue Jackets re-signed him in the off-season to a three-year contract on June 20, 2006.[13] In the first year of his new contract, he tallied nine goals and 25 points over a full 82-game season.

Malhotra missed 11 games with a recurring knee injury in December 2007.[13] Late in the 2007–08 season, on March 17, 2008, he recorded a career-high three points in one game (two goals and an assist) in a 4–3 win against the Detroit Red Wings.[29] He finished the campaign with 11 goals and 29 points. Early in the 2008–09 season, Malhotra missed five games with a lower-body injury.[13] He recorded a career-high 24 assists and 35 points over 77 games during the campaign. As Columbus was plagued with numerous injuries over the course of the season, Malhotra was used on various lines while also in a shutdown role, playing against top opposing forwards.[30]

His contract was not renewed by the Blue Jackets in the 2009 off-season and he became an unrestricted free agent. After failing to sign with an NHL team, Malhotra accepted an invitation to the San Jose Sharks' training camp on September 17, 2009.[13] Five days later, he signed a one-year, $700,000 deal with the team.[3][13] He went on to record a career-high 14 goals and +17 rating, along with 19 assists for 33 points, in his only season with the Sharks. He centred the team's third line and earned time playing wing on the powerplay.[3] However, the Sharks did not re-sign him and he became an unrestricted free agent for the second consecutive summer on July 1, 2010.[3] Looking back on his time in San Jose, Malhotra called it the "most enjoyable season [he's] had as a pro", being able to play for a winning team and have a long playoff run for the first time in his NHL career.[3]

Malhotra during the 2011–12 season

On his first day of free agency on July 1, 2010, Malhotra signed a three-year, $7.5 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks that included a no-trade clause.[31] Malhotra was named an alternate captain during away games for the Canucks before the season began.[32] He scored his first goal as a Canuck on October 22, during a 5–1 win against the Minnesota Wild.[33] Malhotra settled into the Canucks' lineup as the team's third-line centre, often playing with wingers Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen, while playing significant time on the penalty kill and matching up against opposing team's best forwards. His success as a defensive specialist earned him early consideration for the Frank J. Selke Trophy as the league's best two-way forward. In an article on the NHL's website, he was chosen as the front-runner for the award at the mid-way point of the campaign. He was also credited with allowing the team to use Ryan Kesler in a more offensive role (Kesler was the team's previous shutdown centre); as a result, the second-line centre recorded career-highs in goals and points.[34]

Near the end of the season, Malhotra was struck in the eye by a puck during a game against the Colorado Avalanche on March 16, 2011. He immediately left the ice and underwent eye surgery the following day.[35] It was announced on March 21, 2011, that Malhotra would not be returning to the lineup for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs, without further comment on Malhotra's condition.[36] Eight days later, he underwent a second successful surgery on his eye.[37] Limited to 72 games, Malhotra recorded his third consecutive 30-point season with 11 goals and 19 assists while playing on the Canucks' third line alongside Raffi Torres and Jannik Hansen.[38] His 61.7% faceoff percentage ranked second in the league behind David Steckel.[39] The campaign also included the 100th goal of his NHL career, scored in a 3–0 win against the Anaheim Ducks on March 6, 2011.[40]

On a team-basis, Malhotra's first season with the Canucks saw them earn the Presidents' Trophy for having the best regular season record in the league. In the midst of his recovery, Malhotra made an appearance during the team's pre-game ceremony at Rogers Arena, co-accepting the trophy with captain Henrik Sedin.[41] Despite original statements from the team that he would not return for the playoffs, Malhotra began working his way up from light practices with the team in May 2011.[42] By the end of the month, he was cleared by doctors to play in the Stanley Cup Finals.[43] Though he remained out of the lineup for Game 1, he returned for the following contest and played the rest of the series as the team's fourth-line centre (late-season acquisition Maxim Lapierre filled in for Malhotra on the third line). Playing against the Boston Bruins, the Final went to a seventh game, which the Canucks lost. Malhotra's regular season performance earned him six first-place votes out of 125 for the Selke Trophy.[notes 1] He ranked fifth in balloting, as teammate Ryan Kesler won the distinction at the year-end Awards Ceremony.[44]

Having lost a significant amount of his vision in his left eye, Malhotra struggled in his first full season since the injury in 2011–12. He was supplanted as the Canucks' third-line centre by rookie Cody Hodgson and later Samuel Påhlsson.[notes 2] Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault assessed Malhotra during the season as "not the same physical player he was before",[45] adding, "He's still contributing but not maybe to the degree that he was before he got injured."[46] Playing left wing on the fourth line, he remained an integral part of the team by playing on the penalty kill and taking important defensive zone faceoffs. Near the end of the campaign, Malhotra was chosen as the Canucks' nominee for the Bill Masterton Trophy, an annual NHL award for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.[46] With a diminished offensive role, Malhotra finished his second season in Vancouver with 7 goals and 18 points over 78 games, as well as a –10 plus-minus rating. However, he remained among the league's elite in terms of faceoffs, ranking fourth with a 58.5% winning percentage.[47]

Continuing to struggle with his eye injury, Malhotra was put on the injured reserve a month into the 2012–13 season. Fearing for his long-term health, Canucks general manager Mike Gillis took him out of the lineup for the season, a decision that he described as the "hardest thing [he has] done in [his] job".[48] Malhotra had appeared in nine games without recording a point.

At the end of the 2013 NHL season, Malhotra became an unrestricted free agent. After being unsigned by an NHL team at the start of the 2013–14 season and looking to continue his playing career Malhotra signed a 25-game professional try out (PTO) contract with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers.[49] The Carolina Hurricanes signed Malhotra to a one-year two way contract on October 31[50] and he made his Carolina debut against the New York Rangers on November 2. On November 6, he scored his first NHL goal in 19 months, scoring a game winner in overtime against the Philadelphia Flyers.[51][52] As a measure of the amount of respect he has earned in the locker room in just a few weeks, Manny was selected to be an interim assistant captain while Tim Gleason was out with an injury. After Gleason was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Malhotra was officially named an alternate captain for the remainder of the season.

On July 1, 2014, Malhotra signed as a free agent to a one-year deal with the Montreal Canadiens.[53] In the 2014–15 season, Malhotra was primarily used as the Canadiens fourth-line centre and face-off specialist. On February 28, 2015, he scored his first and only goal with Montreal in his 53rd appearance in a 4–0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs.[54] Malhotra completed the season scoring only 4 points in 58 games.

On May 15, 2015, it was announced by Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin that Malhotra would not return to the Canadiens for the next season.[55] In July 2015, Malhotra officially became a free agent and proceeded to go un-signed over the summer. Two months into the 2015–16 season, Malhotra returned within the Columbus Blue Jackets organization by signing a professional try-out contract with American Hockey League affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters on December 3, 2015.[56]