Pacific Division Team Unexpectedly Fires Their Head Coach After Only One Season

After a promising season in 2022/23, the Seattle Kraken have put together back-to-back disappointing campaigns, missing the Stanley Cup in each after a dreadful season over the past eight months.

The first miss resulted in the firing of Dave Hakstol, and after just one season as his replacement, the Kraken are making a shocking decision, with Elliotte Friedman today reporting that Seattle will indeed move on from Dan Bylsma.

This comes just one year after he was officially announced as the second coach in franchise history, and while no one saw this team as a genuine Stanley Cup contender in 2024/25, it's safe to say the expectations were much, much higher than their 35-41-6 record on the year.

Now, they'll begin a wide search to name their next new coach, and after making the post-season just once in their four years as a franchise, it's safe to say that whoever is hired will be under immense pressure.

This also raises questions about the future of Jessica Campbell, who has been a very promising coach who has broken many barriers for women in the NHL, but after being with Dan Bylsma in the AHL and now the NHL, it's unclear where she stands moving forward.

Ultimately, this could be a good move or it could backfire in a big way for Seattle, but regardless, this is a team that realizes they need to make some major changes, so don't expect this to be the last shocking decision they make this off-season as they look to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.