A Lot To 'Love' About THN Columnist's Choice For Next Kraken Coach

In the words of Casablanca's Captain Renault, Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis is "rounding up the usual suspects" in contention to be the team's new coach.

They could include former NHL coaches like Todd McLellan, Gerard Gallant, Dean Evason, and Bruce Boudreau. Also in the mix are Coachella Valley AHL coach Dan Bylsma, U. of Denver coach David Carle, and current Kraken assistant Jay Leach.

THN columnist Adam Proteau has thrown a lesser-discussed name into the Kraken ring: Mitch Love.

(As we'll explain, Everett Silvertips fans need no intro to Love, the only player in franchise history to have his number retired.)

"Although Love worked as an assistant coach for the Washington Capitals last season," Proteau writes , "he’s enjoyed success at the AHL and WHL levels.

"He could be exactly what the doctor ordered for a Kraken squad that fell short of expectations in 2023-24. Seattle GM Ron Francis is looking for someone who commands the respect of his charges, and Love has always done that in his coaching career, earning AHL coach of the year honors in 2021-22 and 2022-23."

Tough Love

“He keeps us honest every day,” then-Calgary Wrangler Nick DeSimone told the Calgary Sun last year. “It’s not screaming at us. It’s demanding on the little things in practice, stopping at the net, having a good stick, hitting the net. Over the course of the season, it really ingrains in you.

"And then he’s blunt. He’s honest. If you’re playing well, he’ll tell you. If you’re playing bad, he’ll let you know. It’s never a guessing game. Ultimately, he just wants us to be better.”

Everett Connection

So if Francis is seeking a hard-nosed coach, he need look no farther than the crooked proboscis in the middle of Love's face.

Two of Love's six WHL junior seasons (2003-05) were spent with the expansion Everett Silvertips, one as captain. "His passion and loyalty to the region," wrote the Everett Herald , "endeared him to the fan base and the community.

"The fans loved him for his crooked nose - bent to the side from so many fights - his ability to energize a crowd and his warrior mentality on the ice."

The year before with Swift Current, Love racked up 327 penalty minutes and 40 fighting majors. After Everett, Love graduated to a pugnacious 278-game AHL career, mostly on defense.

Later, Love would return to Everett, spending seven seasons as a 'Tips assistant coach. A team executive once observed, "He would do anything for the crest on his jersey and that’s why he was so loved by the fans and his teammates.”

AHL To NHL Pipeline Not Just For Players

Before moving on to the Capitals, Love explained why NHL teams have been looking to the minors to fill coaching positions.

"Especially as the NHL gets younger and younger," Love said to theahl.com, " they’re really leaning on their AHL teams’ head coaches or assistants to come to the National Hockey League and be that connection from your American League feeder system to the NHL.”

Ironically, Love's last game as an AHL head coach was getting his Wranglers' season ended in the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs by the Coachella Valley Firebirds - farm team of the Seattle Kraken.

If Proteau's right, the Kraken franchise may soon learn to Love their former foe.