Wednesday afternoon, the Boston Bruins announced assistant coach Jay Leach will be joining Jim Montgomery’s staff after three seasons with the Kraken. Assistant coach Paul McFarland was relieved in late April along with Dave Hakstol, leaving new head coach Dan Bylsma with a coaching staff consisting only of Dave Lowry.
Jay Leach was responsible for the defensive aspects of the Kraken’s systems, including the penalty kill, and garnered rave reviews from former and current personnel who worked with him. Under his command, the Kraken’s goals against average in all situations improved each season, going from 3.44 (24th), to 3.04 (14th), to its best this past season, 2.79 (8th). While exhibiting shutdown stretches, the penalty kill has largely remained stagnant in terms of success.
Before coming to Seattle, Leach served as head coach of the Providence Bruins from 2017-21, the same team he spent two seasons with as a defenseman from 2004-06. Leach has been rumored to be in the running for several head coaching vacancies, including in Seattle.
When asked following Hakstol’s firing, general manager Ron Francis told reporters the decision to keep Leach and Lowry was his decision. He did not elaborate on what factored into their continued tenure.
As to who will round out Bylsma’s coaching staff, those decisions are likely to be made following the conclusion of his Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Calder Cup playoff run. Firebirds assistant coaches Jessica Campbell and Stu Bickel are a “part of that conversation” to replace what was at the time a single assistant coaching vacancy, according to Francis at a recent press conference.
If Campbell is hired, she will become the first woman behind a bench in NHL history.