Hockey is notorious for keeping coaches on short leashes, and Dan Bylsma was no exception. After replacing inaugural head coach Dave Hakstol following the 2023-2024 season, Bylsma was expected to be the solution the Kraken were looking for.

Bylsma led the Kraken’s American Hockey League affiliate team, the Coachella Firebirds, to two straight Calder Cup Finals appearances, and had great chemistry with the team’s young talents. He coached in the NHL previously, manning the helm of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins, who won the Stanley Cup under his guidance. However, after steering the Kraken to 35-41 record (0.461 win percentage), Bylsma finds himself out of a job.

After acquiring two Stanley Cup champions in free agency in Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, both primed for bounce back seasons, Bylsma had the table set for a playoff-caliber team. However, with team captain Jordan Eberle and Vince Dunn suffering injuries, Beniers only tallying 20 goals and Shane Wright getting off to a slow start, Bylsma was up creek without a paddle.

With his firing, the Kraken will be bringing in their third head coach in five years. In addition to hiring Bylsma last year, the organization also brought in Jessica Campbell to be the assistant coach. She made history as the first female coach in NHL history. There is no word yet as to whether she will stay in her position next year, but Bylsma’s firing may be the first domino to fall.

Along with Bylsma’s firing, the organization elevated former general manager Ron Francis to president of hockey operations and hired Jason Botterill to fill the vacant GM role.

In their new positions, the two men have an opportunity to make the 2025 offseason the most productive offseason in the team’s short history, both with the hiring of a new head coach and with possible additions to the roster. Here are a few ways the team can build back stronger for the 2025-2026 season:

1. Free up spending

The Kraken have 15 players who will be free agents heading into the offseason. By not extending some of their contracts, the team will be able to free up much needed capital to spend in free agency.

The Kraken may consider not extending defenseman Cale Fleury, defenseman Joshua Mahura, center John Hayden and possibly left-winger Ben Meyers. By not extending these players, the Kraken could free up around $7 million in spending that could be used in the free agent market. While most of those players are fairly young, their time spent on the Kraken has been slightly underwhelming. If the Kraken were looking to trim some fat from the payroll, this might be where they start.

2. Be Aggressive in Free Agency

The free agent market this offseason is not packed with high-end talent, but there are still some notable names up for grabs. These names include Mitch Marner and John Tavares from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nikolaj Ehlers from the Winnipeg Jets, Brad Marchand from the Florida Panthers, Claude Giroux from the Senators, Brock Boeser from the Canucks, Ivan Provorov from the Columbus Blue Jackets and Kyle Palmeri from the New York Islanders.

Marner, Tavares, Ehlers, Marchand and Giroux all play for teams currently in the playoffs and may be unwilling to leave their current squads. However, Boeser, Provorov and Palmeri all play for teams who fell short of the postseason and may be looking to rebuild.

All of them will be unrestricted free agents and are quality talents who would be invaluable to a Kraken squad that needs a boost. If they can free up some spending and make competent offers, then the Kraken could build a team that can break into the postseason.

3. Leverage their Draft Picks

After making a slew of trades at the deadline this past season, the Kraken have accrued a stockpile of quality draft picks. Over the next five drafts the Kraken have seven picks in the first round combined, putting them in a great position to draft young talent every year.

Currently, the Kraken may end up drafting center Caleb Desnoyers in the first round and defenseman Henry Brzustewicz in the second round of the 2025 draft. However, the Kraken may find it useful to put together trade packages using their deep draft capital in order to make impactful additions to the roster. By targeting teams with a need for young talent, they may be able to leverage their resources in order to build a stronger team for next year.

Bylsma’s replacement has yet to be announced, and whether further changes to management are on the way is still unknown. But the Kraken have put themselves in a strong position to make the 2025 offseason productive and loud. If the Bylsma firing is any kind of indicator, then Kraken fans should expect there to be big moves this summer.