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The Seattle Kraken took a major step in their second season in the NHL. Seattle earned a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2023. They took out the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round. Furthermore, they were one win away from making the Western Conference Finals.
On Wednesday, the club secured a bit of stability for the next few years. Head coach Dave Hakstol is sticking around after signing a contract extension through the 2025-26 campaign. Hakstol met with the media for the first time since signing his new deal. He spoke a bit about what he and his players accomplished in 2023.
“I really want our guys to have a sense of pride in what they were able to accomplish last year and what we were able to build, and I sense that,” Hakstol said, via NHL.com. “I feel that in the conversations with our players. But the other piece that I feel, and the part that is really important, is our guys are very disappointed in losing Game 7 in Round 2.”
Hakstol told the media that this combination of emotions can be very useful. And he hopes this combination leads to his players showing up motivated to build upon what they did. There is one major expectation he has for the team's upcoming training camp, though.
“I expect the competitiveness of camp to be excellent,” Hakstol said, via NHL.com. “I think everybody saw a noticeable difference in the level of camp last year from Year One. I expect that level to rise again a little bit this year.”
The Kraken have a nice core of players already in place. If players such as Matty Beniers and Shane Wright can take a step, Seattle figures to be a very dangerous team in the future.
