Changes are coming for the Seattle Kraken. On Monday, the Kraken announced they are moving on from head coach Dave Hakstol, per the official release from the team. Assistant coach Paul McFarland is also being relieved of his duties with the team.

‘Today, the Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) announced that they have relieved head coach Dave Hakstol of his duties…Additionally, Francis announced that assistant coach Paul McFarland will not return to the Kraken next season.'

Hakstol finishes his run with the Kraken with a 107-112-27 record in three seasons. But, after a playoff run in the 2022-2023 season, this is a bit of a surprising move for the Kraken. He was named a finalist for the John Adams Award finalist in 2022-2023.

Ron Francis, the Kraken's general manager, released a lengthy statement on the decision to move on from Hakstol:

“I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise. 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.”

After the Kraken missed the playoffs this season, Francis recently hinted that changes could be in store, and now it is official. In turn, Hakstol becomes the 10th NHL coach to be fired during this season, so it's quite a turn of events around the league with a lot of coaching changes.

Kraken moving on from Dave Hakstol is a bit surprising

 

Hakstol became the head coach of the Kraken during their inaugural campaign in 2021-2022. They went 27-49-6 in the first season. However, the second season ended with a 46-28-8 record and a trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the first round in a thrilling seven-game series. After that, they fell to the Dallas Stars in another seven-game set, which certainly sparked excitement in the fan base.

But, the 2023-2024 season ended short of a playoff run and a record of 34-35-13, good for sixth in the Pacific Division. Hakstol had also spent four seasons as the Philadelphia Flyers head coach from 2015 until 2019, putting together a record of 134-101-42.

So, the Kraken decide to move in a shocking turn of events after missing the playoffs this year. Where they go from here remains to be seen, but they will cast a wide net to find a replacement for Dave Hakstol. The coaching search for the Kraken will be something to monitor after the shocking change with Hakstol and McFarland leaving.