Here’s a couple of less talked-about names who could be candidates for the Seattle Kraken coaching vacancy.
One is Marco Sturm, bench boss of the AHL’s Ontario Reign, the L.A. Kings farm club. The former center from Dingolfing, Germany played 938 NHL games. He joined the Kings as an assistant from 2018-22 before taking the reins of the Reign.
Sportsnet’s Pierre McGuire was especially impressed with Sturm’s coaching of Team Germany at the 2018 Winter Olympics. “They were as well-coached as any team in the 2018 Olympics, and now we’re what, six years, seven years past that? Marco has only gotten better as a coach. So, I would think he’s going to surface somewhere as an NHL coach.” (Via DailyFaceoff.com)
Sturm came close to landing the San Jose Sharks job last season. “There are a few moments in interviews (where) I just have to probably be a little bit more careful with what I say,” Sturm told MayorsManor.com.
“(Last year), I probably wanted it too bad. You know, with it being my first interview, I wanted to be all out. You just kind of have to calm yourself down a little bit because they feel it, right? They feel if you know the game, they feel if you want it. So, it’s not that. It’s just, finding the right tone sometimes helps too.
“I feel confident enough that when things come up, I’m going to be great. But if someone would ask me that three years ago, I probably would say, ‘Mmm, I don’t know, I’m not sure,’ right? And now, I’m sure. I just want to be honest.”
Tough Love
Another under-the-radar coaching prospect already has Pacific Northwest ties. Mitch Love spent two years playing and six seasons as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.
The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun has reported that Love, currently a Washington Capitals assistant, has been “generating interest” among teams with vacant positions. LeBrun also points out that Love is a two-time AHL coach of the year. Love is responsible for the Capitals’ defense corps, which tied for 8th in goals-against per game (2.79).
Despite his surname, Love is anything but a shrinking violet. During his playing days, more violent than violet. In 2008-09 alone, he fought 34 times. Before that, in five junior seasons split among Moose Jaw, Swift Current and Everett, Love piled up 901 penalty minutes. So it’s not far-fetched to predict the Kraken would adopt a saltier attitude under a coach Love.
What Tocchet Turned Down
In between leaving the Vancouver Canucks and joining the Philadelphia Flyers as their new head coach, Rick Tocchet interviewed with the Kraken. That’s been widely reported, as was the fact that Seattle actually offered him a job.
Now, ESPN’s John Buccigross adds this detail: the contract Tocchet turned down was for five years.
McCann Qualifies As ‘A Guy You Want’
When the goals weren’t coming last season for Jared McCann, he made sure he was contributing in other ways.
“You can go through stretches when you’re playing well and things are going in,” he said to the Stratford Beacon-Herald. “But there will be long stretches when it’s the opposite. When things are going that way, I try to switch my mentality to help the team win.
“As a teammate, when you see somebody blocking shots or doing something different when it’s not going their way, that’s a guy you want.
“I played OK,” McCann said. “Didn’t score as much as in past years, but I felt like I was creating a lot more. I had the opportunity to play with a lot of young players trying to learn and get better, and I tried to be a leader for them and a good teammate. I tried to calm them down and help them out as much as I could.”
A Big PWHL Seattle Fan – 6-Foot-7 Big, In Fact
We know one Seattle hockey observer who’s excited about the city landing one of the PWHL’s expansion franchises. Especially when they face off against the pro women’s league’s other expansion franchise.
“I’m definitely looking forward to checking out a game against Vancouver,” said the fan.
You’ll recognize his name, and what he does for a living: Kraken defenseman Jamie Oleksiak.
“It’s going to be a great rivalry, for sure,” Oleksiak told NHLPA.com.
“Seeing the passion fans have for hockey in Seattle, it’s exciting to see the PWHL grow and expand into the area. Seeing people all over the city in Kraken gear, showing their support, it’s been really special.”