The Seattle Kraken have announced that they have extended coach Dave Hakstol’s contract through the 2025-26 season. Hakstol has been with the Kraken for two seasons and led the team to its inaugural Stanley Cup playoffs appearance last season. The team finished with a 46-28-8 record, a significant improvement from their first season as a franchise. Hakstol was also a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, given to the league’s best coach, in the 2022-23 season.
The decision to extend Hakstol’s contract is not surprising considering the team’s success under his leadership. Despite a rough inaugural season that was plagued by poor goaltending, the Kraken stuck by Hakstol, and it paid off in the following season. Hakstol demonstrated an ability to maximize the strengths of his roster, particularly their impressive depth at forward, while minimizing their weaknesses. This resulted in a well-balanced team with four lines featuring 20-goal scorers. With the extension, Hakstol will now have the opportunity to coach promising players like Matty Beniers, Andre Burakovsky, and potentially Shane Wright in Year 2.
The Kraken exceeded expectations last season with a 100-point season and a first-round upset against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche. As they enter their third year, the top of the lineup is expected to remain relatively unchanged, with the addition of a healthy Burakovsky and Wright. However, there are question marks surrounding their new-look depth. Players like Daniel Sprong, Morgan Geekie, Carson Soucy, and Ryan Donato have all left in free agency. Sprong led the team in five-on-five scoring-per-60, Geekie finished third, and Donato was fifth in goals-per-60. Kailer Yamamoto is an intriguing replacement, while Pierre-Edouard Bellemare brings veteran experience. However, it will be up to Hakstol to maximize the lineup and ensure that the Kraken do not take a step back.
Before joining the Kraken, Hakstol served as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2019 to 2021. He also coached the Philadelphia Flyers from 2015 to 2018, accumulating a 134-101-42 record. The extension of Hakstol’s contract comes nearly two months after the Kraken extended general manager Ron Francis through the 2026-27 season. Francis has been with the team for almost four years, having been hired in July 2019, two years before the 2021 Expansion Draft.
In conclusion, the Seattle Kraken have made the decision to extend coach Dave Hakstol’s contract through the 2025-26 season. This comes after a successful second season for the team, in which they made their inaugural Stanley Cup playoffs appearance. Hakstol’s ability to maximize his roster’s strengths and minimize weaknesses played a significant role in the team’s improvement. With promising players joining the lineup in Year 2, Hakstol will have the opportunity to continue building on the team’s success. The extension of his contract is a testament to his coaching abilities and the confidence that the Kraken organization has in him.