Pretty meh from me. The way his time ended in Pittsburgh definitely gives me pause
juanthebaker
He’s worked great with the young guys. He’s clearly on the same page as the front office. If true, this is a quality hire for where we are right now.
I wonder who would fill his spot in CV.
SiccSemperTyrannis
Rumor tag is technically correct here because it’s not officially official, but a Friedman tweet is the next best thing to the official announcement.
As such I think think it’s basically safe to say Bylsma will be the coach and I’ll speak here on out as if he is.
I’ve come around on Bylsma as time has gone on, and I have some positives and negativities. Witch each point I’ll add a reservation as to why it’s not as good or as bad as it might seem.
Positives
* He’s developed a winning culture in Coachella Valley across both the regular season and playoffs
* BUT the firebirds had a very « AHL All Star » type roster from day one because the kraken simply didn’t have many prospects. In many ways, he was set up for success.
* He’s done a great job developing kraken prospects into being NHL-ready, notably Evans and Kartye. By all indications Shane Wright has grown under this staff as well.
* BUT that’s a small sample size. The 2024-25 season is when there will be a big changing of the guard in Coachella as those AHL vets move on to make roster spaces for young prospects graduating from juniors like Firkus. How would Bylsma have done with them? We may never know.
* He’s got NHL championship experience (Pittsburgh in 2009)
* BUT I get the sense that pens fans are mixed on his time there. He was given an excellent team that reached the Cup Finals in consecutive seasons.
* Opening a spot at the AHL level may allow someone like Jess Campbell to take over as head coach, or the Kraken could hire someone else. This allows Seattle to continue developing their coaching pipeline for the future.
* BUT 2 years may not have been enough time to be ready to be an AHL head coach, and it’ll be critical for whoever they get to replace Bylsma to prioritize prospect development above all else.
Negatives:
* His last NHL head coaching job in Buffalo was a disaster
* BUT how much of that is the entire Sabres organization being a shot show vs him specifically? Multiple coaches and GMs have cycled through Buffalo without success over the past decade+.
* The NHL has changed massively since he was in Buffalo. Has he kept up or might he fall back to methods and systems that worked a decade ago but will fail now?
* BUT the AHL is the NHL’s proving ground and he’s been successful there
* The Kraken are passing on the chance of hiring a young, first time coach who might have more long-term upside (see Jon Cooper. Jared Bednar, Spencer Carbery) to go with a veteran
* BUT the Kraken are still veteran heavy and are still a few years away to their peak contention window opening, assuming it does at all. They have time to give Bylsma a few years to see if it works and make another change without missing their window.
* There’s a risk of Bylsma being the easy/safe hire since he’s already in the organization. Other teams have shown over the years of the danger of being too inward looking.
* BUT the Kraken know more about Bylsma than any coach outside of their system. Francis will have met with him multiple times over the years to talk about development and all kinds of other issues. That means it’s probably unlikely that Bylsma will be a total flop, which is a risk with first time coaches or guys you’re not familiar with.
Overall I’m cautiously optimistic. I think there’s reason to think this will be a success and reasons to think it won’t be, but IMO more on the « it will work side » at least for now. Hopefully Bylsma will get help from Francis in the form of roster changes to bring in some more scoring and playmaking talent.
Novawolff
Might not be the flashiest hire, but considering how many vacancies there are to fill and how few quality coaches are available, I don’t think there were many, if any, better choices. Plus he already has relations with the organization and some of the younger players, which isn’t worth nothing. I think given the circumstances, he is a perfectly acceptable choice. Interested to see how he’ll do back at the NHL level.
Seattle with a hard fetish for former Pennsylvania team head coaches…
A_crackinthecup
It’s good to announce it sooner than later due to getting more assistants available to fill out the staff. Honestly as much as I’d like Jess as Coachellas head coach. She might be a good hire as an assistant at the NHL level too
inalasahl
Disco Dan: As a player in the mid-90s, he ended up on a team with another “Bysie,” so his new teammates tried out a variety of nicknames for him. Eventually “Disco,” after his penchant for dancing in the locker room and his willingness to attempt wild things, stuck.
Legitimate-Net2062
As a Penguins fan first and kraken second, I am terrified. In Pittsburgh he was extremely bad at adjusting, and god he massacred Iginla during his time there. Then Buffalo happened. Hope he got his act together in CV, but man. Would have tried to court Keefe
AtYourServais
I’m trying to stay open minded, but the people talking about him killing Detroit’s power play in the hockey thread have me a little nervous.
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[Another Source](https://www.thescore.com/s/27422312)
Pretty meh from me. The way his time ended in Pittsburgh definitely gives me pause
He’s worked great with the young guys. He’s clearly on the same page as the front office. If true, this is a quality hire for where we are right now.
I wonder who would fill his spot in CV.
Rumor tag is technically correct here because it’s not officially official, but a Friedman tweet is the next best thing to the official announcement.
As such I think think it’s basically safe to say Bylsma will be the coach and I’ll speak here on out as if he is.
I’ve come around on Bylsma as time has gone on, and I have some positives and negativities. Witch each point I’ll add a reservation as to why it’s not as good or as bad as it might seem.
Positives
* He’s developed a winning culture in Coachella Valley across both the regular season and playoffs
* BUT the firebirds had a very « AHL All Star » type roster from day one because the kraken simply didn’t have many prospects. In many ways, he was set up for success.
* He’s done a great job developing kraken prospects into being NHL-ready, notably Evans and Kartye. By all indications Shane Wright has grown under this staff as well.
* BUT that’s a small sample size. The 2024-25 season is when there will be a big changing of the guard in Coachella as those AHL vets move on to make roster spaces for young prospects graduating from juniors like Firkus. How would Bylsma have done with them? We may never know.
* He’s got NHL championship experience (Pittsburgh in 2009)
* BUT I get the sense that pens fans are mixed on his time there. He was given an excellent team that reached the Cup Finals in consecutive seasons.
* Opening a spot at the AHL level may allow someone like Jess Campbell to take over as head coach, or the Kraken could hire someone else. This allows Seattle to continue developing their coaching pipeline for the future.
* BUT 2 years may not have been enough time to be ready to be an AHL head coach, and it’ll be critical for whoever they get to replace Bylsma to prioritize prospect development above all else.
Negatives:
* His last NHL head coaching job in Buffalo was a disaster
* BUT how much of that is the entire Sabres organization being a shot show vs him specifically? Multiple coaches and GMs have cycled through Buffalo without success over the past decade+.
* The NHL has changed massively since he was in Buffalo. Has he kept up or might he fall back to methods and systems that worked a decade ago but will fail now?
* BUT the AHL is the NHL’s proving ground and he’s been successful there
* The Kraken are passing on the chance of hiring a young, first time coach who might have more long-term upside (see Jon Cooper. Jared Bednar, Spencer Carbery) to go with a veteran
* BUT the Kraken are still veteran heavy and are still a few years away to their peak contention window opening, assuming it does at all. They have time to give Bylsma a few years to see if it works and make another change without missing their window.
* There’s a risk of Bylsma being the easy/safe hire since he’s already in the organization. Other teams have shown over the years of the danger of being too inward looking.
* BUT the Kraken know more about Bylsma than any coach outside of their system. Francis will have met with him multiple times over the years to talk about development and all kinds of other issues. That means it’s probably unlikely that Bylsma will be a total flop, which is a risk with first time coaches or guys you’re not familiar with.
Overall I’m cautiously optimistic. I think there’s reason to think this will be a success and reasons to think it won’t be, but IMO more on the « it will work side » at least for now. Hopefully Bylsma will get help from Francis in the form of roster changes to bring in some more scoring and playmaking talent.
Might not be the flashiest hire, but considering how many vacancies there are to fill and how few quality coaches are available, I don’t think there were many, if any, better choices. Plus he already has relations with the organization and some of the younger players, which isn’t worth nothing. I think given the circumstances, he is a perfectly acceptable choice. Interested to see how he’ll do back at the NHL level.
Here’s ECH’s thoughts on Bylsma in case anyone hasn’t seen that podcast episode! https://x.com/EmeraldCityHky/status/1795180392112161047?t=0uE7MAK3-uVUUqpa9ki_5A&s=19
Seattle with a hard fetish for former Pennsylvania team head coaches…
It’s good to announce it sooner than later due to getting more assistants available to fill out the staff. Honestly as much as I’d like Jess as Coachellas head coach. She might be a good hire as an assistant at the NHL level too
Disco Dan: As a player in the mid-90s, he ended up on a team with another “Bysie,” so his new teammates tried out a variety of nicknames for him. Eventually “Disco,” after his penchant for dancing in the locker room and his willingness to attempt wild things, stuck.
As a Penguins fan first and kraken second, I am terrified. In Pittsburgh he was extremely bad at adjusting, and god he massacred Iginla during his time there. Then Buffalo happened. Hope he got his act together in CV, but man. Would have tried to court Keefe
I’m trying to stay open minded, but the people talking about him killing Detroit’s power play in the hockey thread have me a little nervous.