Potential Head Coaches for the Seattle Kraken
The Kraken is yet to fill the Head Coach role. There are many prominent names available including Claude Julien, Dan Bylsma, Mike Babcock, Gerard Gallant, Bruce Boudreau and many more.
THE FRONT RUNNERS
The main front runner has to be former Vegas Golden Knights Head Coach, Gerard Gallant.
Gallant had a great stint with the Vegas Golden Knights. In his time with the Knights, Gallant had a coaching record of 118-75-20. That was in three seasons with a point percentage of .601%. Anything above .500 is great for any NHL coach. Gallant is a front runner because he was a huge part of this team's success since their inauguration. Gallant was fired by the Golden Knights on January 15th, 2020. Vegas was on a four-game losing streak in that time and in their last ten, they were 4-6-0. Gallant won a Jack Adams (Most Outstanding NHL Coach) in 2017-2018 with the Golden Knights and also made the Stanley Cup Finals.
Before Gallant’s time in Vegas, he spent three seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets for a total of 142 games with the club and a record of 56-76-10. With Columbus, his records got him two third-place finishes in his division and one second place. He also spent three years as the Head Coach of the Florida Panthers. In his time with the Panthers, he had a record of 96-65-25. His records got him two sixth-place finishes in the division and one first-place finish. His total coaching record throughout nine seasons was 130-256-55.
The next forerunner for the Kraken Head Coaches Job is Claude Julien.
Claude Julien was recently fired by the Montreal Canadiens after the Habs lost two straight to the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens were also on a three-game losing streak in that time and were 4-4-2 in their last ten.
Claude Julien was hired by the Montreal Canadiens on February 14th, 2017. He was fired a week earlier by the Boston Bruins. Julien was previously the Head Coach of the Canadiens from 2003-2006, wherein that time he was 72-62-10. He made the playoffs once in that time and was 4-7-0. When he came back Julien went 113-106-34. He made the playoffs once in that time again in the bubble and his Montreal Canadiens upset the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup qualifiers. They later lost to the Flyers in the first round. Julien also won the cup with the Boston Bruins. He was 419-256-94 in that time in the regular season and was 57-40-0 in the playoffs with the Bruins. . Julien would be a great coach for the Kraken and he brings a cup-winning presence behind the bench.
The third and final front runner is Bruce Boudreau. Boudreau has spent time as the Head Coach of the Capitals, Ducks and the Wild.
In Boudreau's first season as an NHL coach, he went 37-17-7 with the Washington Capitals. He also went 3-4 in the playoffs and additionally won the Jack Adams in that season. To sum up all of Boudreau’s time with the Capitals, he was 201-88-40. Having the luxury of Alexander Ovechkin on his roster, which was a huge part in bringing the Capitals to the cup-winning team they are. He was the main coach that built the Capitals system which heavily relies on Ovechkin utilizing his shot and everyone else playing exceptional defence.
Boudreau had his best time as an NHL Head Coach with the Anaheim Ducks. In his time in Anaheim, he had a record of 208-104-40. As Head Coach of the Ducks, Boudreau only finished once out of the top of the Pacific Division. The Pacific Division was one of the weaker divisions in the league throughout that time.
Boudreau has most recently coached with the Minnesota Wild. In his time in Minnesota, Boudreau had a record of 158-110-35. Boudreau and the Wild have only made the playoffs once in that time. They lost in a five-game series with the Winnipeg Jets in the first round of the 17-18 NHL Playoffs.
DARK-HORSES
There are three dark horses for the job of Seattle Kraken Head Coach.
The first on the list of dark-horses is Jack Han. Jack Han was most recently the assistant coach of the Toronto Marlies of the AHL. He was previously an analyst for the Toronto Maple Leafs and a Hockey Operations Assistant.
Jack Han also has a newsletter called the Hockey Tactics Newsletter. Here, he breaks down every NHL team's system of play. This would be very helpful as an NHL Coach, He could throw together the write pairings for different teams and counterattack against their systems.
The second dark horse for the Seattle Kraken Head Coach is Roberto Luongo.
Roberto Luongo would be a great fit as the Head Coach of the Kraken. The league has been building a huge rivalry for Vancouver and Seattle will be that rivalry.
Luongo was a franchise cornerstone for the Canucks. Him coaching a game vs the Canucks would be great. He has had experience as an NHL Executive and is the AGM of Team Canada 2022. He knows the game as a player and an executive. This combo could make for a great NHL coach.
The third and final dark horse for the Kraken Head Coach is Marco Sturm.
Marco Sturm is currently the assistant coach of the Los Angeles Kings. Before that, Sturm was the Head Coach and General Manager of almost all of Germany’s Professional international hockey teams. The experience says itself, would be a great fit for the Kraken.
DO NOT HIRE
The first coach that should not be hired for the Kraken is Claude Noel.
Noel was the first head coach for the Winnipeg Jets. He had a record of 80-79-18. He made many mistakes as head coach and the Jets were never really competitive until they fired him and brought in Paul Maurice. Noel also spent one season as the Interim Head Coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets. He was before that an experienced AHL Coach for the Milwaukee Admirals. Noel currently works as the scout for the New Jersey Devils.
The final coach on my do not hire list is Tony Granato.
Tony Granato spent a lot of time in the Colorado Avalanche organization. That time was not great, being replaced by Bob Hartley. Never got higher than Assistant Coach for a long period of time. Granato also spent a lot of time with the Red Wings and Penguins. He is now the Head Coach of the University of Wisconsin.
By: Brody Neufeld
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