Dan Bylsma excited and ready to coach the Kraken

After a disappointing end to this year after making the playoffs in 2022, Francis felt a change of voice was necessary and decided to fire Dave Hakstol and Paul MacFarland after the season ended Bylsma Has been coaching the Coachella valley firebirds, taking his team to the Calder Cup for a second straight year.
Bylsma looked calm confident and ready take over the bench and even cracked a few jokes with the Seattle press corps.

Prior to working for the Kraken organization, He started his coaching career in the NHL in 2008 when he was the interim head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins where he won the Stanley Cup in his first season with only 25 games of NHL coaching experience.

He took the Penguins to the playoffs every season while he lasted till 2014 and put together several 100 plus point seasons. He also won the Jack Adams award as the best coach in the NHL in 2011.

He then was hired by the Buffalo Sabres in 2015 where he only worked for two years and then was fired in 2017.

It's been 7 years since he's been a head coach in the NHL and Bylsma has learned to adapt his coaching style to be more with today's NHL player.

He has worked on connecting with players, developing more relationships and becoming better as a head coach and with his experience in Coachella valley and what he brings to the table certainly gives the Kraken a new look and potentially good success.

Bylsma's Firebirds await their opponent who will either be the Hershey Bears who they faced last year in the Calder cup or the Cleveland monsters who are currently down 3-2 in the Eastern Conference final.