The Seattle Kraken are rumored to be zeroing in on a head coaching candidate. Lane Lambert interviewed with the team and is seen as the top candidate for the job, per The Fourth Period. Lambert is currently the associate coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Seattle has interviewed several coaches for their head coaching position, including Jeff Blashill. Blashill took the Chicago Blackhawks job in recent days.

Lambert spent some time as the head coach of the New York Islanders. He was fired by the team during the 2023-24 season, despite making the playoffs the year before.

Seattle finished the 2024-25 season with a disappointing 35-41-6 record. The Kraken posted 76 total points, and finished next to last in the Western Conference's Pacific Division.

The Kraken have some defensive deficiencies to be fixed

Seattle's next head coach is tasked with helping the team fix its defense. The Kraken allowed 265 total goals this past season, and finished -18 in goal differential. Only one other team in Seattle's division, the San Jose Sharks, allowed more goals.

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That is one of the reasons why Lambert could be a great candidate for this job. He helped lead Toronto to the top spot this year in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division. The Maple Leafs also had one of the best scoring defenses in the East, with only 231 goals allowed.

Kraken management says the search is ongoing.

“We brought in a lot of different people from different organizations. They have resources, they have touchpoints with some of the candidates … we're narrowing the process here,” team general manager Jason Botterill said in recent days, per NHL.com. “We're very excited to name the new head coach here very soon.”

The offense is in better shape for the Kraken. Seattle scored 247 goals this season, which was more than the three teams that finished just ahead of them in the Pacific Division.