Lane Lambert is getting his second opportunity as a head coach.
Thursday night, the Seattle Kraken announced that they hired the 60-year-old to be the third head coach in their franchise’s history, stepping in for Dan Bylsma who was canned after one season.
Lambert was previously an assistant coach on the Washington Capitals’ Stanley Cup championship team in 2018 under Barry Trotz and spent three years in DC overall.
“After conducting an extensive search, we’re thrilled to announce Lane as our new head coach,” Seattle general manager Jason Botterill said. “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.”
The hiring immediately reunites Lambert with three players from the Caps’ championship-winning club: Chandler Stephenson, Andre Burakovsky, and Philipp Grubauer.
Lambert arrives in Seattle after spending the 2024-25 season as an associate coach on Craig Berube’s staff with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before that, Lambert served as head caoch of the New York Islanders in 2022-23 and part of 2023-24 before being fired midseason in favor of Patrick Roy. Lambert posted a 61-46-20 record while leading the Islanders — a winning percentage of .559.
“I’m so excited to become the head coach of the Seattle Kraken,” Lambert in a statement. “When it came time to writing a new chapter, I couldn’t think of a better fit. Seattle is an incredible sports town, and I’ve been impressed by the energy of the fans every time I’ve been there as a visiting coach. This team has a talented group of young players poised to take the next step and a core group of veterans with great leadership qualities. I’d like to thank Samantha Holloway, Ron Francis, and Jason Botterill for this opportunity. I can’t wait to get started.”
Other coaches who interviewed for the job in Seattle included Mitch Love and David Quinn. The Kraken also heavily pursued Rick Tocchet before he signed on with the Philadelphia Flyers and shared some interest in Marco Sturm, Jay Woodcroft, and Jay Leach.
