Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken

When Does Rod Brind’Amour Sign His New Deal and Does Seattle Make a Coaching Change?

Elliotte Friedman joined Scott Laughlin and Gord Stellick on NHL Network Radio to discuss the coaching situations with the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

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Gord Stellick: “We’re chatting before the top of the hour. We’re gonna have Lance Lysowski on to talk about the Buffalo situation and the coaching change. Just the talk first of all in Seattle about making a move coaching-wise and also Rod Brind’Amour, But still a pending UFA coach-wise at the end of the year. Is that still the status?”

Elliotte Friedman: “It still is, but the thing is, in Brind’Amour’s case, Gordie, I believe they’ve had something done with him for quite some time. A contract in the drawer, going back as far as last summer.

Brind’Amour has indicated he is waiting to get his assistants take care of. It’s an interesting situation. It happened last time when his assistants were up. Tom Dundin is a creature of habit when it comes to negotiations. He term puts a value on your worth or where he thinks the position is worth and he won’t go passed it. That’s negotiations.

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The last time one of his assistants, Brind’Amour’s assistant, was Dean Chynoweth, he felt he could do better than what Dundin was offering, and he ended up in Toronto. So I think the same thing is kind of playing out. I believe Brind’Amour has indicated he won’t sign until his assistants are taken care of or at least they go far enough along things get to a point where you know Brind’Amour says well you know I’m gonna sign whatever happens. But I do think there is one in the drawer quote unquote done for him.

Seattle, I have to admit I’m a little bit surprised that things have played out as they did two years in their first season. The Kraken was an expansion team, and the results were as much as you would normally expect. Last year, they were a 100-point team or won a round against Colorado, who’s been Stanley Cup Champions.

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I would have thought that that would have given Hakstol a little bit of a longer leash, but there’s definitely something going on right now because he’s admitted it.

One of the things I wonder about is if they’re considering a promotion, Dan Bylsma who’s a coach of their American Hockey League team in Coachella Valley. I wondered if that’s one of the people they’re considering. But there’s no doubt that they are looking at the possibility of something bigger. And I have to admit I’m surprised.”