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Seattle Kraken Fire Head Coach Dan Bylsma

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Jim Bay | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 8:15 PM ET

The Seattle Kraken announced Monday afternoon (April 21) that it fired head coach Dan Bylsma after just one season leading the team.

The long-time coach debuted as an NHL head coach in 2009, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to win the Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red Wings. The Penguins made the playoffs in each of Bylsma’s six seasons in charge.

The #SeaKraken have announced that head coach Dan Bylsma has been relieved of his duties.

Read more → https://t.co/Li8SJQbH6g pic.twitter.com/ltffH5qsTN
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) April 21, 2025

Bylsma, a former player with experience with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, is the fastest NHL head coach to reach 200 regular-season wins.

Bylsma was named the Kraken’s second head coach in franchise history on May 28, 2024, and guided the team to a 35-41-6 record during the 2024-25 season. He joined the Kraken after spending the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons as the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Seattle’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. He guided the Firebirds to a combined regular-season record of 94-32-18 over those two years. He was also an assistant coach with the Charlotte Checkers, Seattle’s AHL affiliate in the Kraken’s first year as an NHL team.

Under Bylsma, the Kraken missed the postseason and earned 76 points in the 2024-25 season, tied for the fourth-fewest total in the National Hockey League (NHL). After firing Dave Hakstol last season, Seattle earned fewer points with Bylsma at the helm.