Firebirds’ Dan Bylsma reportedly headed to Seattle as Kraken head coach

By Silvia Leija Rosas, edited by Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - The Coachella Valley Firebirds’ Dan Bylsma is headed to Seattle to become the head coach of the Kraken, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Bylsma has seen great success in his two years coaching the Kraken’s AHL affiliate, and it appears via Friedman’s report that Seattle’s brass has decided that he gives them the best chance moving forward to return to the postseason and lead them into the future as their second head coach in the teams young history.

The Kraken fired Dave Hakstol in April after the team missed the playoffs in their third season as an NHL franchise. Hakstol went 107-112-27 in those three seasons and took Seattle to the second round after beating the Colorado Avalanche in seven games in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a year in which he was nominated for the NHL’s “Jack Adams Award,” which is awarded annually to the National Hockey League coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

With several Coachella Valley players making big waves on the Kraken lineup last season (see: Joe Daccord, Tye Kartye, and Ryker Evans) plus a few other exciting prospects that will make an impact at the NHL level (see: Shane Wright, Ryan Winterton) Bylsma’s promotion makes perfect sense for a team of developing players looking to make strides in the Western Conference as Seattle starts to move away from the group that was formed during the expansion draft a few years ago.

The Kraken's AHL affiliate Firebirds are 94-32-18 under Bylsma, 53, and have finished second in the league both seasons. Bylsma was tapped for the position during the Firebirds’ inaugural year, leading the team all the way to the Calder Cup Finals in 2023 where Coachella Valley lost in overtime of game seven to the Hershey bears. Bylsma had been in the organization previously, as he returned to the AHL (Coached in the AHL from 2004-05 to 2008-09) after he was hired by the Kraken to become an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers on August 10th, 2021 as Seattle was sharing that AHL team with the Florida Panthers.

The Firebirds had another strong regular season this year, overcoming a bumpy start to the season, and have advanced so far to the Western Conference Finals this season. That series against the Milwaukee Admirals for the Western Conference championship starts later this week, Wednesday, May 29th with a puck drop time of 7PM PDT as the first two games are in Coachella Valley.

The Kraken job will mark Bylsma's third stop as an NHL head coach.

Bylsma coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for seven seasons and took them to the Stanley Cup in 2009, where they defeated the Detroit Red Wings. Under Bylsma, Pittsburgh made the playoffs every season and reached the conference finals twice, but never getting back to the promised land of the Stanley Cup final after that 2009 season. Bylsma and Pittsburgh never lost in the first round under his tenure, with their earliest departure from the postseason coming in 2013-14 when they fell in the second round to the New York Rangers.  

He won the Jack Adams Award in 2011, after he coached the Penguins to a fourth seed spot despite losing both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin at the start of the year. Bylsma was fired in 2014 before taking up behind the Buffalo Sabres' bench as their head coach. The Sabres finished 23rd in 2015-16 and 26th the following year, missing the playoffs both years before Bylsma was fired by Buffalo in April of 2017.

Internationally, Bylsma coached the United States during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi and came home medal-less. He was also an assistant coach during the 2015, 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Championships.

The Kraken have announced that they will hold a “special announcement” tomorrow that will be live streamed, as Samantha Holloway, Seattle Kraken Owner and Ron Francis, Seattle Kraken General Manager will be speaking with the local media in attendance.

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Cover photo by Mike Zitek.