Per the Seattle Kraken:
Today, the Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) announced that they have relieved head coach Dave Hakstol of his duties.
“I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise,” said Kraken General Manager Ron Francis. “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 that 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.”
Hakstol was named the first head coach in franchise history on June 24, 2021, and guided the Kraken to a 107-112-27 record over their first three seasons. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs and earned a nomination for the Jack Adams Award during the 2022-23 season.
Additionally, Francis announced that assistant coach Paul McFarland will not return to the Kraken next season.
“We would also like to thank Paul for his contributions to our hockey team and wish him and his family well moving forward,” said Francis.
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6 Comments
Thanks Erica
Hakstol was not the problem
A change needed to be made…not sure that it's the right one…
SO the FO doesn't have a part to play in the failure??
This was a neccessary step imo. Now good luck next year Kraken!
I just find it heartbreaking that we went from cheering for Hakstol to be voted coach of the year, and the Kraken being the most improved NHL team… to "everyone" hating him for a flop season this year.
I feel like the Kraken front office is being incredibly short-sighted on this matter.
We knew last year was a bit of a fluke, mixed in with some hardwork, and some perfect storm scenarios. However, the front office decided to trade away a bunch of talented cornerstone players during the following post season last year, instead of letting us gel and coalesce together, and build upon an already historic season.
Instead, we were presented with a pseudo-rebuild year… Where we had to find new grooves, new styles, and deal with a lot of teams gunning for us this year… and frankly guys playing with an unsmortsmanlike aggressiveness towards some of our skaters, which doesn't belong in the NHL at all.
I get that injuries happen. Which, Hakstol admittedly could have handled better, but at the end of the day, he can't stop other teams from playing rough and hitting dirty.
I think our defensive coordinators could be let go. Our defense has been a sore spot for all 3 years. To me that would make more sense than firing Hakstol…
Even Ron Francis…the same things they said they weren't happy with Hakstol… could be said about Ron Francis too! IMO he has a lot to share in the blame for the lack luster year, and I don't see him stepping down…
…plus if we listen to Yanni Gourde and other memebers of the Kraken, then what it all boiled down to is the guys not putting the work when they needed to. And many of them have taken onus of the situation. Saying it wasn't the coaching.
I'm honestly really sad to see Hakstol leave. I don't think this was the right decision at all. But I have faith that we'll still be enjoying Kraken hockey next season all the same, and the person at the helm wont change that!
I'm just glad we're keeping our AMAZING broadcast team!
Now they can give us 3 to 5 more years of subpar hockey, not making the playoffs and using the excuse, we have new coaches