After a long search, the Kraken have found their new bench boss. The team announced that Lane Lambert has been hired as the third head coach in franchise history. GM Jason Botterill released the following statement:
After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach. 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.
Lambert will be taking over behind the bench from Dan Bylsma who was let go after just one year. He had previously replaced Dave Hakstol who served as the head coach for the franchise’s first three seasons. The hire shouldn’t come as too much surprise as earlier this week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Lambert had emerged as the frontrunner for the position.
This will be Lambert’s second stint leading a team. The 60-year-old spent 127 games in charge of the Islanders but was let go partway through the 2023-24 season and replaced by Patrick Roy. Over that time, the Isles put up a 61-46-20 record while making the playoffs in 2022-23 where they lost in the first round.
The playoff success Botterill alludes to in his statement came when Lambert wasn’t in the top job. He spent four years with Washington as an assistant including 2018 when the Capitals won the Stanley Cup. Lambert followed Barry Trotz to the Islanders the following year while receiving a promotion to associate coach; their two Eastern Conference Final appearances came while he was in that role. This past season, Lambert was an associate coach with Toronto who now has an opening to fill on their staff.
Lambert will now be tasked with turning around a Kraken team that impressed considerably in its sophomore season when they amassed 100 points in the regular season but has struggled since, putting up 81 and 76 over the last two. One area of focus will undoubtedly be on the back end as they went from allowing the eighth-fewest goals in 2023-24 to 24th in that category this season while their possession game took a big hit as well.
With this hiring, there are now just two head coach vacancies remaining across the NHL: Pittsburgh and Boston. The belief is that the Penguins are looking to finalize a hire before the end of the month while the Bruins have been whittling down their shortlist in recent days as well so it may not be much longer before all 32 spots are spoken for.
Photo courtesy of Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports.