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The Seattle Kraken fired coach Dan Bylsma on Monday after one season behind the bench.
“After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we’ve made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench," general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "Dan is a great person and a respected coach. He played an important role in the development of many of our young prospects and was a big part of our early success in Coachella Valley.”
Francis will address the media on Tuesday. The statement didn't address the status of Jessica Campbell, the NHL's first female full-time assistant coach.
Bylsma was hired in May 2024 after two seasons with the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. He replaced the Kraken's inaugural coach, Dave Hakstol, after the team dropped from 100 points and the franchise's first playoff berth in 2022-23 to 81 points and out of the playoffs.
But Seattle fell to 76 points this season and dropped to seventh place in the Pacific Division despite adding Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour in the offseason.
The Kraken had to deal with lengthy injuries to captain Jordan Eberle and defenseman Vince Dunn. They gave up 29 more goals to finish ninth from the bottom of the league in defense.
Bylsma, 54, went 35-41-6 in his lone season in Seattle. It was his first NHL head coaching job since 2017. He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and had 355 regular-season wins with the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Kraken.
Bylsma is the third NHL coach to be fired since the regular season ended, joining the New York Rangers' Peter Laviolette and the Anaheim Ducks' Greg Cronin. There were five coaching changes during the regular season: Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Bylsma fired after one season as Kraken coach
Continue reading...
“After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we’ve made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench," general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. "Dan is a great person and a respected coach. He played an important role in the development of many of our young prospects and was a big part of our early success in Coachella Valley.”
Francis will address the media on Tuesday. The statement didn't address the status of Jessica Campbell, the NHL's first female full-time assistant coach.
Bylsma was hired in May 2024 after two seasons with the Kraken's American Hockey League affiliate. He replaced the Kraken's inaugural coach, Dave Hakstol, after the team dropped from 100 points and the franchise's first playoff berth in 2022-23 to 81 points and out of the playoffs.
But Seattle fell to 76 points this season and dropped to seventh place in the Pacific Division despite adding Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour in the offseason.
The Kraken had to deal with lengthy injuries to captain Jordan Eberle and defenseman Vince Dunn. They gave up 29 more goals to finish ninth from the bottom of the league in defense.
Bylsma, 54, went 35-41-6 in his lone season in Seattle. It was his first NHL head coaching job since 2017. He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and had 355 regular-season wins with the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres and Kraken.
Bylsma is the third NHL coach to be fired since the regular season ended, joining the New York Rangers' Peter Laviolette and the Anaheim Ducks' Greg Cronin. There were five coaching changes during the regular season: Boston Bruins, St. Louis Blues, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and Philadelphia Flyers.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dan Bylsma fired after one season as Kraken coach
Continue reading...
