Boudreau wants to be Kraken's 1st head coach
Bruce Boudreau is interested in becoming the first bench boss in the history of the Seattle Kraken.
"The thing about that job is it would be great to start with a team that is starting fresh and to be the builder of something," the former NHL head coach told The Athletic's Ryan S. Clark.
"I think that is a real exciting thing," Boudreau continued. "Even though it was in the minors, I got a chance to start a team in a new league in Muskegon and in Mississippi, too. It was in an older league and I got the same chance with a new franchise in Manchester, New Hampshire, as well. Every one of them was fun and it was exciting for people in the area. It is exciting for you because it is something brand-new."
Boudreau won't dismiss a potential opportunity simply because of the location, and he believes the Kraken will be in a position to contend right away.
"It's not like you sit there and say, 'I do or do not want this job because it is a West Coast type thing,'" he said. "If someone offers you a job, it is an amazing thing. Especially with the success Vegas had. It is not like an expansion team in 1967. You knew then you were not going to be very good (and) have the dregs of every team.
"The way they have gone about it now, Seattle is going to start off with a pretty good team."
Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said recently that the expansion franchise may wait until after the 2021 season to hire a head coach in order to have more candidates to choose from, though assistant GM Ricky Olczyk mentioned in November that the team's owners have already given management the green light to hire one.
Boudreau confirmed in August he was open to the idea of joining the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach, though that club didn't ultimately bring him on. The Minnesota Wild fired him last February in the midst of his fourth season with the team. The 66-year-old previously guided the Anaheim Ducks for nearly five full campaigns, and he began his head coaching career with the Washington Capitals, with whom he spent parts of five seasons.
Though Boudreau has over a decade of NHL head coaching experience, he's made only one appearance in the conference finals. The Ducks reached that round in 2015 before the Chicago Blackhawks eliminated them in seven games.
The Kraken are scheduled to begin play in 2021-22. The league's expansion draft is slated for July 21, 2021.