NHL Rumors: Dan Bylsma to Be Hired as Kraken HC; Won 2009 Stanley Cup with Penguins

The Seattle Kraken officially have a new bench boss.

Frank Seravalli of the Daily Faceoff reported that the Kraken are set to introduce Dan Bylsma as the franchise's second-ever head coach during the team's scheduled press conference on Tuesday.

Bylsma has eight years of head coaching experience within the NHL, most notably with the Pittsburgh Penguins. His tenure lasted six seasons in Pittsburgh and he helped steer the franchise towards a Stanley Cup victory in 2008-09. He also served as the head coach of the Buffalo Sabres for two seasons.

In addition to his NHL head coaching experience, he also served as the head coach of Team USA at the 2014 Olympic Games. He currently serves as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the AHL affiliate of the Kraken. The Firebirds are notably still playing as the team has reached the Western Conference Finals of the Calder Cup playoffs.

His tenure as the head coach of the Penguins was very successful as he guided the franchise to a 252-117 overall record. Pittsburgh made the playoffs in every season he was behind the bench, although the team never reached the Stanley Cup Final again after that first season and only reached the Eastern Conference Finals one additional time.

Still, he won the Jack Adams Award as the best coach in the NHL in 2010-11 and was considered a hot commodity when the Sabres vacancy opened up. While his tenure with that franchise was not as successful, it could be labeled a trend as it was in the midst of the Sabres current 13-season playoff drought.

He will get a Kraken team that exceeded expectations in 2022-23 and reached the Western Conference Semifinals but underachieved in 2023-24 and finished with a 34-35-13 record.

It's also the youngest franchise in the league after beginning play in the 2021-22 season as an expansion team. Bylsma will be tasked in helping the development of young pieces like Matty Beniers and Shane Wright while also trying to help the team make strides within the Western Conference.