Malhotra skates, and the rumour mill spins

Will he or won’t he? And if he does, just when will that be?

The fact that Manny Malhotra took a twirl on his own Wednesday morning has sent the rumour mill spinning. It could have been as simple as the Vancouver Canucks centre seeing where his damaged left eye is at after two surgeries to relieve pressure and blood pooling after being struck by a puck March 16 in a collision with Colorado defenceman Erik Johnson. Or, it could be the playoff art of deception in the fact that Malhotra skated for a reason and that he could return at some point in the postseason.

"I have no answer for that question," said Canucks general manager Mike Gillis. "Today was about taking the next step in his recovery and he wanted to do some light skating," said Gillis. "This is just a small step in his recovery. There is no timetable and there’s no schedule with an injury like this. He’s at this point because everything seems to be stable and it’s just another step. We’ve never asked and we’ve never been given a timeline. 

"It’s about how he’s recovering. It’s basically day-by-day, week-by-week and month-by-month. We’re optimistic and just holding our breath about his ability to continue to recover. His recovery is the paramount thing and we’ll make decisions along the way and it never entered into our minds about playing, this is about his health. We’re just going to let the process take whatever time it requires."

Malhotra, 30, ranked second in regular-season face-offs with a 61.7 per cent efficiency and was instrumental in helping the Canucks leap from 18th overall in penalty killing last season to first when he was injured. The Mississauga, Ont. native has two more years remaining on his contract at $2.5 million US annually and once he gets medical clearance – and depending on what percentage of vision has been restored – will have to decide if he intends to play next fall.

In the interim, Malhotra has been much more than a bystander. He’s an integral part of the Canucks taking the next playoff step. Part cheerleader and part coach, he has been the constant to provide a pat on the back or even a motivational shot in the arm.

"I told Manny the other night in Nashville, you go talk to the forwards about the PK stuff," said Canucks associate coach Rick Bowness. "We use him. He has that respect from the players and he’s involved in all the meetings and involved in all aspects."

That became evident when Malhotra was running drills even before main camp started last fall. He was fully invested in his new team and nothing has changed in that regard. This time of year is about the players owning the room and making each other accountable. The right words at the right time can go a long way.

"And we’ve got the perfect guy in Manny," added Bowness. "We can’t always go in the room and it can’t always come from us. He knows when to get the players excited and when to calm them down. That’s a feel you have to have from your team, and Manny has that as well."

Added Henrik Sedin: "We know he’s not going to play any more this year. But he helps where he can. He watches a lot of games from upstairs and a lot of times it’s easier to see things from the sidelines than when you’re actually playing."