Seattle Kraken name Dave Hakstol first head coach in franchise history

In a world where news is broken on Twitter well before it’s announced anywhere else, the Seattle Kraken pulled off a rare feat by keeping their head coaching hire under wraps throughout the entire process. The team announced Dave Hakstol as the first coach in the history of the NHL’s 32nd franchise in a press conference Thursday morning with general manager Ron Francis and CEO Tod Leiweke.  

While there had been some as well as speculation around former Arizona Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, the chatter around Hakstol was minimal at best. The former Philadelphia Flyers coach who was on Sheldon Keefe’s bench as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs, a position he held since December 2019. 

He had close ties to Francis from his time with Hockey Canada and the two developed a relationship two years ago when Hakstol was a member of the coaching staff and Francis a member of management during the IIHF World Championships in Slovakia.