The Seattle Kraken finished the 2023-2024 campaign with lots of disappointment. They finished with a 34-35-13 record and 81 total points, third to last in the Pacific Division. They missed the playoffs and are now left wondering where to go from here.
After missing out on the playoffs, there could be changes coming to the Kraken, as general manager Ron Francis mentioned recently (h/t ESPN).
“There's a lot of things we have to look at and factor in, and we'll continue to do that in the next few weeks.”
What exactly that means remains to be seen, but evaluations are underway as the franchise determines what to do after missing the playoffs. Last season, the Kraken finished with 100 points and made the playoffs. They even stunned the reigning defending champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round, so there were high hopes for the Kraken entering this season.
But, missing the playoffs altogether is not exactly what they were hoping for, so now it is time to examine and see what changes should be made.
The status of Dave Hakstol is up in the air
Regarding Dave Hakstol's status as head coach, Francis gave an answer but made sure not to say much about it.
“Well, you're going to read into that one way or the other, but this is the process we do every year and that's what we're in right now.”
Hakstol has put together a 107-112-27 overall record during his time with the Kraken. After making the playoffs a year ago, Hakstol earned a two-year contract extension while being named a Jack Adams Award finalist for coach of the year. Still, taking a step back as Seattle did this year is cause for concern for many, so some changes could be coming.
The Kraken did deal with a variety of injuries through the year, including to Andre Burakovsky, Philipp Grubauer and Vince Dunn. But, a slow start to the season made things even more difficult for the Kraken.
As for the Kraken's plans for free agency, Francis made sure to leave no stone unturned: “We'll look at everything that we have to look at to try and make our team better. It's important for us to get back on the winning track.”
All in all, it sure seems to be a very busy offseason for the organization after they missed out on the playoffs and suffered various issues throughout the season. Whether or not Dave Hakstol returns will be a situation to monitor, and the plans for free agency should be something else to watch as the time gets closer.
For now, the Kraken are exploring all options to improve the team and find a way to return to the playoffs next season.
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