Former Toronto Maple Leafs goaltending coach Steve Briere will assume identical duties with the Seattle Kraken next season, the roster announced Tuesday morning.
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Briere has worked in the Queen City for the past seven campaigns and his contract, which expires on June 30, has not been renewed.
Among the Leafs, he supported Frederik Andersen and Jack Campbell, among others. Also, he rubbed shoulders with Dave Hakstol, now the pilot of the Kraken, for two years.
Last season, Toronto maintained a 3.07 goals-against average, ranking 19th in the National Hockey League.
“Steve’s amount of work speaks for itself. He has enjoyed success everywhere he has gone and the same is expected here. He will add value to our staff of instructors,” general manager Ron Francis told the club’s official website.
“I try to be a student of sport and I reinvent myself every year,” Briere said. Part of being a good leader, coach, or business executive is constantly adjusting to be better. My job is to create a plan that suits the keeper well, not to change it to play the way I would verbally demand. It is a question of making him believe in his excellence.
In Seattle, Briere will have to supervise the guards of a formation that finished 24th in the Bettman circuit last year with an average of 3.46. Chris Driedger and Philipp Grubauer defended the Kraken’s cage.
