The Seattle Kraken have named Dave Hakstol as the first head coach in franchise history in a historic moment for the organization. The former NCAA and NHL head coach joins the Kraken as they continue preparations for their first season in 2021-22. The team announced the hiring Thursday morning.
SEATTLE, WE GOT OUR GUY!
Dave Hakstol (@hakstol2), has been named the the first-ever head coach in #SeaKraken history!
Get to know our new bench boss → https://t.co/uiBhw09CfE pic.twitter.com/fe9p7Hry64
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) June 24, 2021
Kraken Hire Dave Hakstol
Hakstol joins the organization on the heels of a stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. During his time in Canada, Toronto made the playoffs in both seasons but failed to advance as far as they expected. One cannot assign significant blame to an assistant though, as they are not the final decision-makers.
The Alberta native also has extensive experience as a head coach with the NCAA’s University of North Dakota program and the Philadelphia Flyers. He posted an excellent 289-143-43 record with multiple Frozen Four appearances from 2004-05 through 2014-15. The time in Philadelphia was a more mixed bag; the Flyers made the playoffs in two of his four seasons, but never advanced past the first round. He was fired with a 12-15-4 record partway through the 2018-19 season, which led to his time in Toronto.
What This Means
Seattle certainly could have gone with a more experienced NHL coach like Rick Tocchet or John Tortorella, but Hakstol is certainly acceptable. Seattle will have an eclectic mix of players for their first few seasons, so having someone with experience at multiple levels of hockey makes sense. A random assortment of players young and old might not mesh well with an older, more established coach.
The team’s attention can now focus even harder on the expansion draft. Teams are far savvier with the current rules than they were with the Vegas Golden Knights. That might mean less overall talent. However, Hakstol and general manager Ron Francis still have time to discuss strategy and philosophy as constructing a roster approaches.
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