Inside look at Seattle Kraken

NHL.com is providing in-depth roster, prospect and fantasy analysis for each of its 32 teams from Aug. 1-Sept. 1. Today, the Seattle Kraken.

The Seattle Kraken enter their fourth NHL season with a new coach, a couple of key free agent additions and some up-and-coming prospects.

Dan Bylsma was named coach May 28, replacing Dave Hakstol, the first coach in Kraken history, who was fired April 29 after Seattle missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in three seasons.

Bylsma gives Seattle Stanley Cup experience and internal continuity.

He won the Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009 and made the playoffs six times with them from 2009-14. He was voted the winner of the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year in 2010-11.

After two seasons as coach of the Buffalo Sabres, three as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings and one as an assistant with Charlotte of the American Hockey League, he coached the past two seasons with Coachella Valley, Seattle's AHL affiliate, making the Calder Cup Finals twice.

"I feel like I know most of the players, and more importantly they know me," Bylsma said. "… There isn't a guy that I haven't had a relationship with in the past. I kind of feel like I know them pretty well. But having those relationships with the guys is going to be critically important to the next season."

The Kraken signed two 30-year-old unrestricted free agents to seven-year contracts July 1: forward Chandler Stephenson ($6.25 million average annual value) and defenseman Brandon Montour ($7.14 million AAV).

Each brings mobility and can play in all situations.

"They both skate so well," said general manager Ron Francis, a Hockey Hall of Famer who played 1,731 NHL games, fifth all time. "If you're betting on a seven-year deal, I think it's better to bet on somebody that skates extremely well. That's coming from a guy who never skated well and played a long time. But I think it's easier for guys that skate well as they age."

Each also brings a Stanley Cup pedigree.

Stephenson won the Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2018 and the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023. He had 51 points (16 goals, 35 assists) in 75 games for Vegas last season.

Montour went to the Stanley Cup Final with the Florida Panthers in 2022-23 and won it with them last season. He led the Panthers in average time on ice each of the past two seasons (24:08 in 2022-23, 23:27 in 2023-24).

"Exciting," Bylsma said. "Really exciting. Quality players and quality individuals. Montour has developed for a long time in the National Hockey League into a great player and a Stanley Cup champion now. Chandler is also a Stanley Cup champion, and he brings speed in the middle of the ice and excitement."

Montour said he was drawn to the passionate fan base in Seattle, and he thought about how much it meant to Florida for the Panthers to win the Cup for the first time in their 30 seasons.

"To do that again, and to do that with a new organization, that's the goal," Montour said.

The Kraken introduced the remainder of their coaching staff July 3. Assistant Dave Lowry and goaltending coach Steve Briere will return, joined by assistants Bob Woods, who worked with Bylsma in Buffalo, and Jessica Campbell, who worked with Bylsma in Coachella Valley.

Campbell will become the first woman to be a full-time assistant behind an NHL bench when the Kraken open the season against the St. Louis Blues at Climate Pledge Arena on Oct. 8.

"I'm humbled, obviously, to be in this position, to be the first," she said. "But that's never really where my focus is. It's always on the work. It's on the impact. It's on the job."

Bylsma and his staff helped develop players in Coachella Valley who could make an impact in Seattle, including defenseman Ryker Evans and forwards Tye Kartye, Shane Wright and Ryan Winterton.

They know other players from previous training camps, and they want to develop each individual and the team as a whole.

"We want to be in the trenches with them," Campbell said. "We've had success in Coachella by staying focused on the work, and I'm a big believer in communication and showing compassion for the players of where they're at, especially when it gets hard.

"And so, I'm excited to see what we can accomplish just by starting one by one, player by player."