Elliotte Friedman Stuns With Comments on Seattle Kraken Coaching Situation
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman revealed some shocking news about the Seattle Kraken today in regards to their head coach Dan Bylsma.
Last month, the Detroit Red Wings replaced head coach Derek Lalonde with veteran bench boss Todd McLellan.
The move came after a disappointing start to the year and the Red Wings are still trying to dig themselves out of a deep hole.
Apparently, McLellan was a hot commodity on the coaching market as there was some interest in him from at least one other team this summer according to Elliotte Friedman.
The NHL insider revealed that there were some in the Seattle Kraken organization that wanted McLellan, but those who favored Dan Bylsma won that battle.
Now, the organization may very well be regretting that move.
The Kraken have not done any better than Detroit this season. In fact, they have done worse, and currently sit in 7th position in a relatively weak Pacific division.
Furthermore, the Kraken played against McLellan's Red Wings last night and lost 6-2, surrendering three powerplay goals in the process.
It was certainly a rough showing for the league's newest team, which is struggling to find its way back to the playoffs after a strong inaugural season.
How big an impact the head coach can have on a team is often a subject of debate in the hockey world, but one can't deny that the results for the Kraken speak for themselves this season.
Their roster on paper seems like it should be better than this, so Bylsma may very well take the blame sooner if not later if things do not turn around.
Be sure to keep an eye on the Kraken as they could look to make a change behind the bench as soon as this season.
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Jakob Pelletier | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Noah Cates | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Sam Reinhart | 2 | - | 2 | |
| Igor Sharangovich | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Rory Kerins | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mikael Backlund | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Uvis Balinskis | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jake Bean | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor Bedard | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Louis Crevier | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Morgan Frost | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Garnet Hathaway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Kevin Bahl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Aleksander Barkov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Blake Coleman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Matthew Coronato | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Leon Draisaitl | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jamie Drysdale | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tyson Foerster | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Golden Knights | 43 | 29 | 11 | 3 | 61 | |
Capitals | 43 | 28 | 10 | 5 | 61 | |
Jets | 44 | 29 | 12 | 3 | 61 | |
Wild | 44 | 27 | 13 | 4 | 58 | |
Oilers | 43 | 27 | 13 | 3 | 57 | |
Maple Leafs | 44 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 56 | |
Devils | 45 | 26 | 15 | 4 | 56 | |
Stars | 42 | 27 | 14 | 1 | 55 | |
Hurricanes | 44 | 26 | 15 | 3 | 55 | |
Kings | 41 | 24 | 12 | 5 | 53 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||