May 28: Bylsma was officially announced as the Kraken’s head coaching hire in a release on Tuesday. General manager Ron Francis issued the following statement on his hiring:
Dan is a winner with a proven track record of developing both young and veteran talent, and his leadership will help our team as we move forward. He has had success at every level, winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, earning a Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s top coach in 2011, and he led the Firebirds to Game 7 of the Calder Cup Finals last year in the team’s first season. He knows our franchise and has worked with several of our NHL players. We are excited to have him behind the bench and guiding our team next season.
May 27: The Kraken are expected to promote Dan Bylsma from their minor-league affiliate to fill their head coaching vacancy, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Bylsma, who won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in his first season behind an NHL bench in 2008-09, has been with the Kraken organization since its inception. He served as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, whom they shared as their affiliate with the Panthers in their inaugural season, before being named the head coach of their current affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, ahead of the 2022-23 campaign.
After winning in Pittsburgh, he stayed on as their head coach until being fired after the 2013-14 season. He took one year off before landing his second NHL head coaching gig with the Sabres, a post he held for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 campaigns.
The 53-year-old has a career regular-season record of 320-190-55 (.615 winning percentage), including a pair of sub-.500 seasons with the Sabres in the early days of their attempted Jack Eichel-led rebuild. He also had a strong 43-35 (.551) playoff record in his six seasons with the Pens, advancing past the first round four times.
Friedman indicated on Monday’s episode of “32 Thoughts: The Podcast” that things were trending toward Bylsma landing the gig. Kraken assistant Jay Leach was also reportedly being considered for an internal promotion, advancing along with Bylsma to the second round of interviews. Former Wild coach Dean Evason and ex-Kings bench boss Todd McLellan, who were both fired midseason, were also connected to the job as late as last week.
Bylsma takes over as the second head coach in franchise history. The Kraken relieved Dave Hakstol, who led them to one postseason appearance through their first three seasons, of his duties last month.
Unlike his days in Pittsburgh or Buffalo, Bylsma takes control over a roster without a star number-one center. Matthew Beniers may be on his way there after winning the Calder Trophy in 2023, but a difficult season production-wise (15 goals, 37 points in 77 games) this year has tempered expectations.
Perhaps no one will be more affected by Bylsma’s hiring than 2022 fourth-overall pick Shane Wright. After a rocky draft year and a tumultuous 2022-23 campaign, the 20-year-old has excelled in Coachella Valley under Bylsma in his first professional season. The Ontario-born pivot had 47 points in 59 regular-season games and has added five points in six playoff games thus far.
Yet another retread.
Every time a team does not hire a rookie NHL head coach a bunch of you babble this same tired line. It’s almost like you believe that every coach should get only one opportunity to run a team even though these retreads that you yap about have won a bunch of Cups and three of the final four teams this year have coaches that would fit your amusing definition.
Great point. Why would anyone want a coach with NHL experience?
I don’t think @darkside830 even cares at this point. He’s just a keyboard warrior that enjoys trolling and complaining about nothing.
Don’t even think this guy knows that Bylsma is a Stanley Cup winning coach, or even holds the record as fastest NHL coach to win 250 games. All he cares about is the fact that he’s not a rookie coach.
Wow, digging deep for this one. He’s the last one I would have expected
Listen, I’ll always like Dan because of 2009, but…
UNLESS he’s identified this and worked on it in the AHL recently (maybe he has), he’s a one trick pony. Dan B never had a Plan B.
The Kraken will “get to their game”.
boo
I like Disco Dan. Good for him.
Decent enough hire; now if only Francis got serious about building a cup contender… should have traded Eberle as their prospect pool is lacking…
They certainly could use more picks; however, the Athletic had their pool rated No.12 recently and they’ll be adding another top ten pick next month along with two seconds and two thirds.
The Kraken are already down one right-wing going into the off season and considering they got Eberle to sign for just two seasons it seems like a good move to me.
I don’t think adding another late second – especially in this draft – would have moved the needle one bit on their “contender” outlook.
AHL promotions are 50/50…it worked for Bednar but not for Keefe…
It worked fantastically for both the Leafs and Keefe. He had a phenomenal run in Toronto, and like 29 other teams in his tenure, he didn’t win a cup. He was unemployed for all of two hours this off-season because he’s an in demand coach and he’s ideal for the Devils, who are right about where Toronto was five years ago. Maybe this will be the perfect match.
Spelled Rod Brindamour incorrectly
Disco Dan is back in the dance