6/9/2025
SEATTLE, WASH
The Seattle Kraken welcomed new head coach Lane Lambert to the Emerald City Monday morning.
“The organization is first class all the way the facilities, everything on down. I could see that right away, and I knew I wanted to be here.”
Lambert officially becomes the third coach in Kraken history succeeding Dan Bylsma, who was let go after one season.
Kraken general manager Jason Botterill in his opening statement said,
We are certainly very excited about this opportunity to announce Lane Lambert as our head coach of the Seattle Kraken…as we went through this process, we certainly understood that it became very evident that Lane was a great choice to be our new head coach…ath the end of the day, Lane is a winner. He won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Washington Capitals, and since 2015 he’s been a part of 21 playoff series, when the Stanley Cup playoffs are on, Lane’s a part of it.
Lambert’s desire to come to Seattle was apparent and it showed minutes into his conversations with the team. “I knew within about the first three minutes that I had conversations that I wanted to be here.”
When he got the job, Lambert said, “my wife and I high fived, and they may have heard it through the phone…”
Lambert previously served as an associate coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs this past year after leading the New York Islanders. In reflecting on his time with New York, Lambert reflects with an open mind. “Our defensive structure, the identity that we had, I’m proud of that.”
When asked about the team’s defensive structure, Lambert pointed out, “Everybody has a role. Everybody knows what that role is, and there aren’t any grey areas. My job is to provide an environment for our players to be prepared to have success.”
Lambert is treading through familiar waters heading out west. He previously coached current Kraken Jordan Eberle, Chandler Stephenson, Andre Burakovsky, and Philipp Grubauer. “These guys have played for me before. They know exactly what to expect. I’m pretty straightforward. I’m fair, but I’m demanding and they know exactly what they’re going to get.”
With the standards in place in Seattle, Lambert lauded Seattle for being a tremendous sports town. “Standing behind the visitors bench and watching the passion and the volume of the crowd. I can’t wait to do it as a home coach.”
“I can’t wait to get started and set up my roots in Seattle and for my wife and I to get involved in the community.”
After a month long coaching vacancy, the Kraken have their new bench boss with hopes to build a winner in Seattle, in Lane Lambert.
Stay tuned to ESN for more updates on the offseason of the Seattle Kraken.
www.elisportsnetwork.com
