Despite Rocky First Year, Lane Lambert Still Could Be Man for the Job for Kraken

The NHL Draft is still over a month away. The Seattle Kraken will pick seventh, by virtue of the draft lottery. For the third straight season, Seattle missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They have only made the playoffs once in its five seasons of existence.

Last summer, Lane Lambert became Seattle’s third different head coach in those five years, after taking over for Dan Bylsma, who was one-and-done following the 2024-2025 season. Lambert came in from Toronto after being an assistant coach for a year. Previously, he was head coach of the New York Islanders for one and a half years, making the playoffs in his rookie season.

Even with his first season as Kraken head coach being a disappointment, Lambert still can be the correct head coach moving forward.

First off, stability is needed. Ron Francis stepped down as president and Jessica Campbell left the bench, seeking other opportunities. It would behoove the Kraken to not look for a new head coach for a third straight offseason. However, that is not the only reason to keep Lambert around.

The Kraken had promising runs under Lambert in his first year. They sat as high as second or third in the Pacific and were a top-10 team at points. They certainly were more competitive for a majority of the season than they were under Bylsma the year before. The infamous post-Olympic collapse (7-17-2) highlighted issues like goaltending regression, inability to protect leads, and poor special teams.

Lambert emphasizes accountability and structure, two things the Kraken have mostly liked during their brief existence. His press conferences seemed to get more honest, open, and unfiltered as the team floundered down the stretch. His no-nonsense but not drill-sergeant style helped foster competitiveness for most of the season.

There was only so much Lambert could do with this roster, however. The Kraken have largely lacked a difference maker on offense for most of their existence. They finished 27th in goals scored. That is a problem that needs addressed immediately in the offseason.

Another reason to keep Lambert around is his ties with Bobby McMann. The Maple Leaf came over in a trade at the deadline and was certainly not the reason why Seattle faltered down the stretch. His 10 goals and 14 points paced the team down the stretch.

However, McMann is a free agent. If the Kraken have hopes to re-sign him, it probably wouldn’t hurt to keep Lambert, with whom McMann has a history dating back to their time in Toronto. McMann seemed to thrive with Lambert. Imagine a full season of McMann in Seattle.

Overall, given the spurts of competitiveness the Kraken showed, especially early in the season, along with the disciplined systems in place, Lambert at least deserves another year to get it right in Seattle, and he shouldn’t be viewed as the primary culprit for the team’s late collapse this past season.