The Seattle Kraken have officially fired head coach Dave Hakstol. It may come as a slight surprise to some as Hakstol had some great times in Seattle, helping that expansion franchise become a contender. But, a lackluster 2023-24 season required reassessing the state of the club and changes were made.
He led his team to eliminate the former Stanley Cup champions in the 2023 NHL Playoffs. That was the team’s first series win in franchise history. This season however, was a disappointment. The Kraken missed the playoffs and did not wait long to relieve Hakstol from his duties. “I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise,” said Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. He added:
“Following our end-of-the-season review, we have decided to make a change at our head coach position. These decisions are never easy, but we feel this is a necessary step to help ensure our team continues to improve and evolve. Dave is a good coach and a terrific person. We wish him and his family all the best. We will begin our search for the Kraken’s next head coach immediately.”
Dave Hakstol’s History
Dave Hakstol has had quite an impressive hockey career. He played in college before going to the International Hockey League for five seasons. Afterward, Hakstol brought his knowledge to coaching. He spent his first four years coaching in the United States Hockey League, before returning to North Dakota. He coached there for an astonishing fifteen seasons! He led the team to win four Conference Tournaments but was never able to win the National Tournament.
It was after the 2014-15 season that Hakstol made the transition to the NHL. He spent time with the Philadelphia Flyers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and most recently, the Seattle Kraken.
Kraken Look For Bounce Back Season
Having entered this season with high hopes, the Kraken had an exceptional season in 2022-23. They had made the playoffs and managed to eliminate the Colorado Avalanche in seven games. This season, everything went wrong and the organization was not impressed with missing the playoffs.
It seemed as though they could never get it together. They had some young players emerge this season, including Ryker Evans and Shane Wright, who got to show Seattle Kraken fans the hopeful bright future ahead of them. Next season is a new year with a fresh start.
Could we see Jay Woodcroft be the next head coach of the Seattle Kraken? If not Woodcroft, who might he Kraken look to in order to right the ship?
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