Kraken name Lane Lambert head coach

The Seattle Kraken announced on Thursday night that the club has hired Lane Lambert as the franchise’s next head coach.

Lambert, a 60-year-old Saskatchewan native, earns his second chance as a head man on an NHL bench.

Previously, he led the New York Islanders for the entirety of 2022-2023 and for 45 games of the 2023-2024 season before being dismissed and replaced by Patrick Roy.

“After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach,” general manager Jason Botterill said via the team’s press release. “We cast a wide net for suitable candidates. What impressed us throughout the interview process was Lane’s strategy and vision for this team. He was an integral part of the Capitals winning the Cup and the Islanders advancing to two straight Eastern Conference finals. We have full confidence in Lane to lead this team behind the bench.”

The move is the first big change enacted by Botterill, who was named general manager on April 21 while the incumbent Ron Francis, the organization’s inaugural general manager, assumed the role of president of hockey operations.

Seattle opted to move on from previous head coach Dan Bylsma after just one season behind the bench in which he led the group to a disappointing 35-41-6 record.

Prior to Bylsma, Dave Hakstol held the position from the team’s first season as an expansion team in 2021-2022 through 2023-2024.

The Kraken have made the postseason just once in their brief franchise history, when they upset the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 2023 postseason before falling in the second round against the Dallas Stars in seven games.

With almost $21 million in cap space heading into the offseason according to Puckpedia, Botterill will look to assemble a playoff-caliber team for Lambert throughout the summer.

In his lone full season as an NHL head coach, Lambert led the Islanders to the playoffs as the top wild card team in the Eastern Conference.