The Seattle Kraken finally achieved the consistency they’d been striving for throughout the 2024-25 season. Unfortunately, it came in their comments the day after the end of the season.
- Jared McCann: “The consistency for us wasn’t really there all year.”
- Brandon Montour: “Consistency. We needed to find it early.”
- Jaden Schwartz: “Our game looked good at times, and inconsistent at times.”
- Matty Beniers: “What we’ve tried to build in the last 20-25 games is more consistency.”
For the record, now-former Kraken coach Dan Bylsma used the consistency word, too.
The natural question arising from those comments is, if players and coaches recognized the lack of consistent play, why didn’t they make corrections? Part of what drives pro athletes is the belief that if they do their best, opponents can’t stop them. But what if Kraken players and coaches were doing their best, and opponents, as happened too often this season, were still able to stop them?
If true, one of three things, or a mix of all three, must also be true. (1) Current players need to up their game, (2) Different players are necessary, (3) Different coaches are necessary.
Bylsma One And Done
On Monday, the Kraken chose option #3, losing confidence after one season that Bylsma was capable of unlocking the best in his charges. As always, changing coaches is the easiest choice, though not necessarily the correct one. After all, one year ago Bylsma was hailed as the solution to the perceived shortcomings of his predecessor, Dave Hakstol.
This is inconsistency of an odd sort – a different Kraken bench boss for the ’23-’24 season (Hakstol), ’24-’25 season (Bylsma), and ’25-’26 season (Stay Tuned). Whoever they hire next might want to rent, not buy.
Undeniably, Bylsma installed a more watchable brand of hockey. The Kraken tied for the league lead with nine comeback wins after multiple-goal deficits. It’s equally true, however, that to rally from multiple goals behind, you have to trail by multiple goals.
The coach nicknamed “Disco Dan” and his staff may have swung the pendulum too far from defense-first in a search for scoring. The Kraken did improve their average goals per game from 2.61 (NHL rank: 29th) to 2.99 (16th). But their goals allowed per game ballooned from 2.83 (8th) to 3.20 (24th). More entertaining? Sure. More successful? The Kraken’s 76 points this season were five fewer than under Hakstol in Season Three.
Bylsma wasn’t really hired with Season Four in mind, anyway. He was promoted from two dominant seasons at AHL Coachella Valley, with the hope he could continue mentoring prospects as they advanced to the NHL level. We’ll never know how that mission would have turned out.
Kraken Front Office Shakeup
Ron Francis has been widely reported to be transitioning to team president, with assistant general manager Jason Botterill (a former Buffalo Sabres general manager) moving up to GM. Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said last week Francis would continue to “lead the charge” into a fifth Kraken season. But an NHL team president doesn’t typically do that – the general manager does.
The difference in the two executive jobs varies slightly from team to team. When Flyers ownership named Keith Jones president of hockey ops and Daniel Brière general manager in 2023, here’s how they explained it: “The President of Hockey Operations will lead the strategic direction for all aspects of the hockey operations department while collaborating on business goals. The General Manager is responsible for all hockey decisions as it pertains to signings, trades and draft picks as well as overseeing scouting, player development, roster construction and more.”
Interesting, too, history repeating itself; Botterill was hired as Buffalo GM in May, 2017, one month after Bylsma was let go as coach there.
Questions, So Many Questions
How will duties in Seattle be divided between Francis and Botterill? How much of all this is being driven by ownership? Could one or both be gone from the organization themselves a year from now?
Back to the coaching change: Why did Bylsma lose his bosses’ confidence – is there a factor independent of missing the playoffs? What will management be looking for in the next head coach? Who will make the decision? Given that assistant coach Jessica Campbell is reportedly being retained – it would be a PR disaster to sweep her aside with Bylsma – isn’t that potentially handicapping a coach from assembling his own staff?
To be clear, Campbell doesn’t deserve to be let go – but then, neither did Bylsma or Hakstol. Since ownership has already seen fit to promote from within in the front office and retain one assistant coach, don’t be surprised if the Kraken ultimately elevate one of assistant coaches Dave Lowry or Bob Woods to the head coach position. Especially with so many of the available, usual suspect ex-NHL coaches carrying a carousel of their own baggage.
Perhaps some clarity on all this will be provided at a Tuesday afternoon Kraken press conference. Perhaps.