After firing Dan Bylsma as coach, Kraken elevate Ron Francis, with Jason Botterill replacing him as GM
Francis had been in charge since not long after Seattle's ownership group was granted an NHL expansion franchise. He and Botterill are now tasked with finding a coach and repairing a roster that is lacking in elite talent.
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'I am proud of what we have started here in Seattle and look forward to continuing in my new role as President,' Francis said. 'I have worked closely with Jason for many years at both the NHL and international levels. He helped build three Stanley Cup-winning rosters in Pittsburgh and has been a key member of our management team since Day 1. He has demonstrated the ability to construct winning teams, and his experience, leadership, and vision will be invaluable as we continue towards a championship-caliber organization in Seattle.'
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This is Botterill's second GM job in the league after he ran the Buffalo Sabres from 2017-20.
'We are focused on taking the next step as a franchise, and for us, next season starts now,' Botterill said. 'From roster decisions to player development, we will do everything we can to build a team that can compete for the playoffs every year and ultimately bring a Stanley Cup to Seattle.'
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That did not happen under Bylsma. The Kraken this past season finished 35-41-6 for 76 points — 20 back of the second and final wild-card spot in the Western Conference — after 81 in 2023-24 for previous coach Dave Hakstol.
Bylsma had been promoted from within after coaching the American Hockey League's Coachella Valley Firebirds to back-to-back Calder Cup Finals before losing to Hershey. He won the Stanley Cup as Pittsburgh's coach in 2009 and remained with the Penguins through 2014, winning the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2011.
This was his third head-coaching job in the NHL after an ill-fated two-year stint with Buffalo from 2015-17. Bylsma is the third coach fired in as many days after Anaheim moved on from Greg Cronin and the New York Rangers dismissed Peter Laviolette.
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Miami Herald
42 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Joining the Florida Panthers' ‘revitalized' Seth Jones. The next goal: Win a Stanley Cup
Seth Jones felt the emotions rush through him Wednesday as he took the ice for pregame introductions ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers. It's a moment he was waiting for his whole career. The nerves were already there. And then he saw the Stanley Cup rolled onto the ice at Edmonton's Rogers Place. That's when it hit him that this is actually happening. 'That's a special moment,' Jones said. 'I'm just trying to take it all in. Obviously the energy in the building was fantastic. Speaking to the guys about last year, it was one of the loudest buildings they played in last year. Very intense, everything leading up to it.' And then the puck dropped, and the focus was solely back to hockey. 'Really trying to focus on what you can do each shift for the game, kind of visualize and try to keep your heart rate down, really, before the game starts,' Jones said. 'Once that first shift happens, though, you kind of get settled in and just trying to play my game and make plays out there.' Jones has been making big plays for the Panthers since he joined the team in March after being acquired via trade from the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a swap of draft picks (Florida getting Chicago's fourth-round selection in the 2026 NHL Draft; Chicago getting a conditional 2026 first-round pick from Florida). The defenseman, a five-time All-Star in his 12th NHL season, is a big reason the Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive year. He fortified their back end, is running the top power play and has shown a knack for making big plays at big times. The change of scenery from a Chicago team deep in the rebuilding stage to a perennial contender in Florida has paid dividends. Seeing the success up close has been a game-changer. Knowing he has a chance to be a contributor to that perennial contender for years to come — Jones is under contract through the 2029-30 season — only helps. 'Definitely revitalized,' Jones said. 'Winning cures all at the end of the day. This team just understands how to win. They understand their system, they understand what they need to do to be successful. It's not going to be perfect; it never is, but we want to give ourselves a chance to win every night and I think we understand how to do that.' It's why Jones and the Panthers are still confident heading into Game 2 against the Oilers despite dropping Game 1 4-3 in overtime. Florida has been in this position before. It has trailed in a series. But there's an understanding that if Florida can play to its strengths — being aggressive on the forecheck, suffocating the opponent in the neutral zone, executing when chances come to them in the offensive zone — that they can flip the series back in their favor. They did that in spurts on Wednesday — particularly in the second period — but got away from it down the stretch. 'I thought we did a lot of good things,' Jones said. 'We went through some video and see the things we can do better through the neutral zone. Maybe a little bit more offensive zone time, some things we look at, but they played a good game. They were solid defensively. They blocked a lot of shots. And we kind of knew that coming in there's not a lot of space out there, not a lot of plays to be made, really. So when we do get those opportunities, try to hold on to the puck and capitalize.' Jones has capitalized this postseason. He has three goals and seven points while being a plus-10 overall through 18 postseason games entering Game 2. He's averaging a team-high 25:16 of ice time per game while contributing both on the power play and the penalty kill in addition to pairing with Niko Mikkola on defense at five-on-five. 'He's been unreal,' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling said. 'He's so good moving the puck and he's a good skater. Obviously on our power play he's a big key, but defensively he's good. He's got a big frame and good stick. He's been awesome for us.' It took some time to get acclimated to the Panthers' system, especially coming in toward the end of the season when practice time was minimal. A lot of times early on — and even sometimes still — he relied on instinct and muscle memory to make plays and get in the right position. 'Game reps always help, of course, and instinct,' Jones said earlier this season. 'A lot of the situations I've seen them 1,000 times, hundreds of thousands of times probably at this point. But I think it's just about knowing where everyone's at and what's expected of you on the ice so everyone can read off you.' The Panthers did their part to get Jones acclimated. Teammates showed him the way. Panthers coach Paul Maurice assured him he didn't have to do too much to fit in — just play his game, keep it simple. He fit in from the start and is ready to keep the momentum going. 'The first day I came in, talking to Paul and walking around the room on a practice day, you could feel something was different,' he said. 'Everyone understands their task every day, has a goal every day and everyone's really working toward something bigger than just the regular season or an individual game or a goal or a point or something like that. Being in the Final the last two years, they understood what it took to get back here and what it takes to win. Just walking around, it's just special being in that room and being in that environment.'
Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
Hilary Knight eager to introduce PWHL and women's hockey to her new team in Seattle
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Miami Herald
an hour ago
- Miami Herald
Will Panthers make lineup changes for Game 2 of Stanley Cup Final? What Maurice said
The Florida Panthers are sticking with the status quo. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said pregame Friday that there will be no lineup changes for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers after Florida dropped the series opener 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. 'I'm not changing anything,' Maurice said. The only potential change that could have come would have been forward A.J. Greer drawing in on the fourth line, but he remains out with a lower-body injury that hobbled him during the Eastern Conference final. 'He's on track but he won't go tonight,' Maurice said, 'but we think if he tracks out, he could be available for Game 3.' That means Jesper Boqvist will stay on Florida's fourth line as the left winger with Tomas Nosek at center and Jonah Gadjovich at right wing. Boqvist played just 7:58 in Game 1 and took two shot attempts — one was blocked, the other missed the net — and had one hit. Through 12 playoff games, Boqvist has five points (two goals, three assists) with 38 hits and four blocked shots. Florida's lineup should look as follows for Game 2 on Friday... Forward lines Evan Rodrigues-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart Carter Verhaeghe-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand Jesper Boqvist-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich Defense pairs Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov Goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky Vitek Vanecek Maurice reacts to DeBoer firing The Dallas Stars on Friday announced they fired coach Peter DeBoer, a little more than a week after his team lost to the Oilers in the Western Conference final — Dallas' third consecutive season losing in the series before the Stanley Cup Final. 'After careful consideration, we believe that a new voice is needed in our locker room to push us closer to our goal of winning the Stanley Cup,' Stars general manager Jim Nill said in a statement. 'We'd like to thank Pete for everything that he has helped our organization achieve over the past three seasons and wish him nothing but the best moving forward.' Maurice and DeBoer have a relationship going back nearly 40 years, since they were teammates at the junior hockey level in the mid-1980s. 'He'll be all right,' Maurice said. 'With elite teams, you have to push them real hard to where they get to and at some point, you get a summer off, new spot, he's going to be OK.' Nosek talks overtime penalty Nosek on Friday spoke for the first time since his delay of game penalty in the final minutes of overtime in Game 1 that led to the Oilers' eventual game-winning power-play goal by Leon Draisaitl. 'You don't want to be the one guy who costs us a game,' Nosek said Friday. 'Obviously, anybody can make a mistake. It happened in a bad time in overtime and cost us a game. It's in the past and now I'm looking forward to just keep doing my job and focusing on the next game.' Nosek said his teammates have been 'really helpful' with getting him to turn the page and prepare for Game 2. 'Most of the guys came to me and said 'Don't worry about it.'' As for what's key to turning the page after a costly mistake like that? 'I don't think there is one,' Nosek said. 'Everybody makes mistakes. It's a part of the game. It's sport. Just focusing on the same and preparing like any other game.'
