The Seattle Kraken have fired head coach Dave Hakstol, the team announced on April 29.
Hakstol was hired as the inaugural head coach of the Kraken on June 24, 2021. However, after just three seasons and after missing the playoffs this past season, Seattle decided to fire Hakstol. No replacement was named.
“I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise,” Kraken general manager Ron Francis said in a statement. “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.”
Along with Hakstol, Seattle also announced assistant coach Paul McFarland would not return 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,” Francis said.
Hakstol led the Kraken to the playoffs and an upset win over the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the 20243 Stanley Cup playoffs. He was named a 2023 finalist for the Jack Adams Award given to the NHL coach of the year, for leading Seattle to the playoffs.
However, after helping Kraken make the playoffs in their second year of existence, the team took a step back as Seattle went 34-35-3 this past year and failed to make the playoffs.
Hakstol was also the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 until 2018. As a head coach in the NHL, Hakstol has a record of 241-213-69.
Hakstol the Latest NHL Coach to be Fired
Hakstol becomes the 10th NHL coach fired this season. The first coach fired this year was Jay Woodcroft of the Edmonton Oilers.
The other eight coaches who have been fired this season and the teams they coached are, Dean Evason (Minnesota Wild), Craig Berube (St. Louis Blues), D.J. Smith (Ottawa Senators), Lane Lambert (New York Islanders), Todd McLellan (Los Angeles Kings), Lindy Ruff (New Jersey Devils), Don Granato (Buffalo Sabres) and David Quinn (San Jose Sharks).
The Oilers filled their head coaching opening by hiring Kris Knoblauch. The Islanders hired Patrick Roy, while Buffalo, went out and hired Ruff to replace Granato.
Ottawa, St. Louis, Minnesota, and Los Angeles ended the year with interim coaches, while San Jose fired Quinn on April 24.
Kraken Have Key Players Under Contract
Seattle enters the off-season with most of their core players under contract for at least one more season.
The Kraken have Chris Driedger, Justin Schultz, Tomas Tatar, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare as pending unrestricted free agents. Kailer Yamamoto, Eeli Tolvanen, and Matthew Beniers as pending restricted free agents. Yet, Seattle has 15 players under contract for the 2023-24 NHL season.
The Kraken enters the off-season with just over $7 million in cap space. Seattle also has their first-round pick in the 2024 NHL draft while having nine picks in total, including the New York Rangers second-round pick and the Toronto Maple Leafs third-round pick.
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