Kraken fire coach Dave Hakstol
The Seattle Kraken fired head coach Dave Hakstol from his post, the team announced Monday.
Hakstol was the first head coach in the franchise's history. He collected a 107-112-27 record, and Seattle made the playoffs once during his three-year tenure.
General manager Ron Francis will immediately begin the search for a replacement.
"I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise. ... These decisions are never easy, but we feel this is a necessary step to help ensure our team continues to improve and evolve," the executive said in a statement. "Dave is a good coach and a terrific person. We wish him and his family all the best."
The Kraken also announced that assistant coach Paul McFarland won't return next campaign.
Seattle signed Hakstol to an extension through the 2025-26 campaign in July. He was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the league's top bench boss one year ago but lost to Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery.
The Kraken made the playoffs for the first time in their existence last season following a 40-point improvement from their abysmal inaugural campaign. They knocked out the Colorado Avalanche in the first round before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars in seven games.
However, Seattle regressed across several categories in 2023-24, finishing 17 points outside the playoff cutline.
| Season | Record | Points | P% | GF/GP | GA/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 27-49-6 | 60 | .366 | 2.60 | 3.46 |
| 2022-23 | 46-28-8 | 100 | .610 | 3.52 | 3.07 |
| 2023-24 | 34-35-13 | 81 | .494 | 2.61 | 2.83 |
The Kraken ranked second in the league with a shooting percentage of 11.57% at all strengths last season but placed among the bottom-five teams with a 9.11% clip this campaign, per Natural Stat Trick.
Hakstol is the second Pacific Division coach to lose his job in the span of a week. The last-place San Jose Sharks parted ways with David Quinn on Wednesday.