The Seattle Kraken have axed head coach Dave Hakstol, along with assistant Paul McFarland, as they look to chart a new course following a disappointing season, the team announced Monday morning. After helping the Kraken to their first-ever playoff series win in 2022-23, Hakstol's tenure capsized this season with a record of 107-112-27 over his three years in command, as confirmed by KING5 News.
It seems Seattle's decision to dismiss Hakstol was not only due to missing the playoffs this year. The Athletic pointed to a slump in offense, with the Kraken's shooting percentage at five-on-five tumbling down from last year's 10.4 percent to just 7.7, resulting in scoring one goal fewer per 60 minutes of play. McFarland's power play schemes, which he was running, consistently failed to overly impress, sinking to 26th in the league for expected goal generation on the advantage.
A string of losses, highlighted by a crushing overtime defeat to the Vegas Golden Knights on March 12, signaled the end of playoff dreams and set the stage for the Kraken's continued struggles. These were punctuated by a daunting 5-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens on March 24, during which the Kraken were battered for four goals in just the first period. “You play this game with passion, you play it with heart, you play it for the guy next to you and we're not doing that right now and that's more than disappointing,” a frustrated Hakstol said following the loss, according to FOX13 Seattle.
Reacting to the string of losses, forward Jordan Eberle conveyed the team's frustration, saying, "It's been kind of inconsistent throughout the whole year and that's kind of been frustrating," in a statement obtained by FOX13 Seattle. The Kraken's performance saw them struggle not just in regular games but also in overtime, suffering 13 losses which were the fourth-most in the league. Seattle also failed to consistently capitalize against lower-ranked teams, which may have contributed to Hastol's sacking.
Despite victories against some of the league's top contenders, the Kraken finished with the eighth-worst record in the NHL, leaving them with a mere six percent shot at nailing the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft Lottery. Ending a 34-35-13 campaign, Hakstol was amongst the longer-standing head coaches in the NHL, ranking sixth in tenure at the time of his termination, outlasted only by coaches from teams like Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, as per FOX13 Seattle.
