The Seattle Kraken have fired head coach Dan Bylsma after he coached the team for only one season.
Bylsma led the Kraken to a record of 35 wins, 41 losses, and 6 overtime losses, taking over from Dave Hakstol last off-season. He was the second head coach in the team`s history.
The Kraken ended the season with 76 points, which was 20 points away from qualifying for the playoffs in the Western Conference.
In other team news, Ron Francis will also become the team president, and Jason Botterill, previously the assistant general manager, will become the new GM, according to reports.
Seattle was Bylsma`s third NHL head coaching job, following previous positions with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres.
“We appreciate Dan’s dedication and enthusiasm he brought to our organization over the past four years, both in the NHL and AHL,” Francis said in a team statement. “After carefully reviewing the season and our goals for the future, we have made the tough decision to move forward with a different coach.
“Dan is a good person and a well-respected coach. He was important in helping develop many of our young players and contributed to our early success in Coachella Valley. We wish him and his family all the best.”
During his six seasons with Pittsburgh, Bylsma guided the Penguins to the playoffs each season and won the Stanley Cup in his first year in 2009. He was also awarded the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach in 2011.
The Kraken initially hired Bylsma as an assistant coach for their AHL team in 2021 before promoting him to head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds the next year.
In his NHL head coaching career, Bylsma has a regular season record of 355 wins, 231 losses, and 61 overtime losses, and a playoff record of 43 wins and 35 losses.
Bylsma is the third head coach fired since the end of the 2024-25 season, joining Greg Cronin of the Anaheim Ducks and Peter Laviolette of the New York Rangers.
Francis has been Seattle`s general manager since the franchise was established.
Botterill has been the team`s assistant general manager since 2021. He was the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres from 2017 to 2020 and was also interim GM for the Penguins for a short period in 2014.
After a strong 100-point season and playoff appearance in 2022-23, the Kraken have regressed in the following two years.
Francis is expected to speak to the media on Tuesday.
