NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman has reported the Seattle Kraken could poach assistant coach Lane Lambert from the Toronto Maple Leafs to fill their coaching vacancy.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are in summer mode now after once again falling short in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, this time against the divisional foe Florida Panthers for the 2nd time in the last 3 years.
Last summer, the Maple Leafs made a notable change in leadership behind the bench with the hiring of Craig Berube and former New York Islanders coach Lane Lambert as his assistant.
But now, Lambert could be departing after a single year on the job.
Per NHL analyst Elliotte Friedman, Lambert is in the running for the Seattle Kraken's head coaching vacancy; they fired Dan Bylsma after only a single season in which he failed to lead them to the playoffs.
I heard Lane Lambert's interview went well in Seattle.
Lambert was an associate coach for the New York Islanders under Barry Trotz until 2022 when he was elevated to the position of head coach; he led the Islanders to the postseason, where they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the opening round.
But after an inconsistent start to 2023-24, Lambert was fired by the Islanders and replaced by Hall of Fame goaltender and former Colorado Avalanche Hall of Famer and coach Patrick Roy.
Lambert has been on the Maple Leafs' staff for just under a calendar year, having been hired on June 5, 2024.
As a head coach with the Islanders, Lambert had an overall record of 61-46-20.
The Kraken are set to enter their 5th year in the NHL after entering as an expansion club in 2021-22; they've made the playoffs on only a single occasion.
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