Dave Hakstol Named 1st Head Coach of NHL Expansion Franchise Seattle Kraken

NHL expansion team the Seattle Kraken named Dave Hakstol as the first head coach in franchise history Thursday.

Seattle was granted an NHL expansion franchise in 2018, and the Kraken will begin play at the start of the 2021-22 season.

The 52-year-old Hakstol is an NHL coaching veteran who served as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers for parts of four seasons from 2015-19.

During his stint with the Flyers, Hakstol posted a 134-101-42 record and led Philly to the playoffs twice, although it was eliminated in the first round both times.

Before getting hired by the Flyers, Hakstol enjoyed a great deal of coaching success in the college ranks at his alma mater, the University of North Dakota.

Hakstol coached the Fighting Hawks for 11 seasons from 2004-15, going 289-143-43, and taking them to the Frozen Four on seven occasions, including a runner-up finish in 2005.

After getting fired by the Flyers in 2018, Hakstol joined the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant coach in 2019 and served under Sheldon Keefe this season.

Regarding the decision to hire Hakstol, Kraken general manager Ron Francis said: "Tracking back to University of North Dakota days, Dave is a coach who cares about his players. At times, a coach's messages can get diluted. Players want to understand what the coach wants them to do. Dave communicates clearly and concisely. Players like that."

There had previously been speculation that Francis was targeting former Carolina Hurricanes teammate Rod Brind'Amour to be the Kraken's first head coach on the heels of Brind'Amour enjoying a great deal of success in his first three seasons as head coach of the Canes.

Brind'Amour was removed from consideration recently, however, when he signed a three-year contract extension with Carolina.

While expansion teams aren't usually expected to be competitive for at least a couple of seasons, there may be pressure on Hakstol to deliver results right away. The Vegas Golden Knights raised the bar for NHL expansion teams in 2017-18 when they reached the Stanley Cup Final in their first season. They have reached the playoffs three more times since.

The success of Hakstol and the Kraken in their first season will depend largely on the players they land in the expansion draft and via trade and how well they mesh right away.

Seattle's roster will begin to take shape July 21, when the expansion draft is set to be held.