Kraken fire Bylsma, reportedly naming Botterill GM
The Seattle Kraken fired head coach Dan Bylsma, the team confirmed Monday.
Additionally, the Kraken are naming Jason Botterill as the team's new general manager, moving previous GM Ron Francis to the position of president, reports The Athletic's Arthur Staple.
The organizational shake-up comes after Seattle missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Bylsma guided the Kraken to a 35-41-6 record in his lone campaign with the club.
"After a thorough review of the season and our expectations for next year and beyond, we've made the difficult decision to move in a different direction behind the bench," Francis said in a statement. "Dan is a great person and a respected coach.
"He played an important role in the development of many of our young prospects and was a big part of our early success in (the AHL). We sincerely wish him and his family nothing but success moving forward."
Bylsma led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup in 2009, though he hasn't found success in the NHL since leaving Pittsburgh. Bylsma coached the Sabres for two seasons from 2015-17, missing the playoffs both years.
He coached Seattle's AHL team, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, for two campaigns before his promotion to the big club in 2024.
Despite the change behind the bench, the Kraken are retaining Jessica Campbell, who became the first female assistant coach in NHL history with Seattle in 2024, a source told ESPN's Ryan S. Clark.
Botterill, meanwhile, has served as an assistant general manager under Francis since 2021. He also spent three seasons as the Buffalo Sabres' GM from 2017-20.
Francis was named Seattle's inaugural general manager in 2019.
Dave Hakstol coached the Kraken for the franchise's first three years. He led them to a surprise playoff appearance in 2022-23 but missed the postseason in his two other campaigns.
Seattle is the sixth NHL team without a full-time head coach, joining the Anaheim Ducks, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and Philadelphia Flyers.