The Seattle Kraken announced Monday that head coach Dan Bylsma has been relieved of his duties after just one season behind the bench.
General Manager Ron Francis said the decision came after an in-depth evaluation of the team’s performance and future goals.
“We thank Dan for his commitment and the energy he brought to our organization over the past four years at the NHL and AHL levels,” Francis said in a statement. “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. 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 Coachella Valley. We sincerely wish him and his family nothing but success moving forward.”
Bylsma was hired as the Kraken’s second head coach on May 28, 2024. During the 2024-25 season, he led the team to a 35-41-6 record, missing the playoffs in a year that began with heightened expectations after back-to-back successful seasons in the AHL.
Prior to his time in Seattle, Bylsma served as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds — the Kraken’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate — for two seasons, from 2022 to 2024. He posted an impressive combined record of 94-32-18 and was credited with developing several of Seattle’s current roster players. He also worked as an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers, then Seattle’s AHL affiliate during the Kraken’s inaugural NHL season.
The team has not announced a replacement or timeline for hiring a new head coach.
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