On Monday afternoon, the Seattle Kraken announced that the team had relieved head coach Dave Hakstol of his duties and that the search for a new bench boss would begin immediately. Assistant coach Paul McFarland was also let go, creating another opening on the Kraken’s staff ahead of the 2024-25 season.
It’s an abrupt turn of events for the organization that rewarded Hakstol with a two-year contract extension just last summer after he led them within one win of the Western Conference Final. He was also named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s best coach for steering the Kraken to a 40-point improvement over their dismal inaugural campaign in 2021-22.
For all his accolades, it was clear the team was stagnating rather than progressing in its development. Hakstol owned a middling record of 107-112-27 with a .490 points percentage (PTS%) over three seasons with the Kraken, which represented an 80-point pace over 82 games. The Kraken saw their point total reduced by 20 points from 2022-23 to 2023-24 and missed the playoffs for the second time in Hakstol’s three years at the helm.
The Kraken generally graded out as a top-half team by shot- and chance-share metrics at five-on-five over Hakstol’s tenure, but those numbers declined this season. They were flanked by underwhelming goaltending from those not named Joey Daccord, as well as a significant regression in production and shooting percentages across the board.
Exploring their coaching options was one of my four keys to a successful offseason for the Kraken, even before Hakstol was relieved of his post. Any new coach will have their hands full while trying to diagnose and rectify what went wrong with the Kraken in 2023-24, but it’s clear the team has room to grow.
The NHL’s ever-revolving coaching carousel is always filled to capacity, and there stands to be a number of intriguing vacancies this summer, with several teams opting to part ways with their head coaches in the past week or so and with some potential high-profile openings (cough, Toronto Maple Leafs, cough) turning the market on its head.
Depending on how much the Kraken value the long-term prosperity of the organization and the development of its burgeoning prospects, a younger, more modern-thinking bench boss could be the target. If an immediate return to playoff contention is the goal, there are appropriate names for that, too. With that, let’s dive into five candidates who could top the shortlist for Seattle’s new opening.
Candidate #1: Jay Woodcroft
The first potential candidate is 47-year-old Jay Woodcroft, the former head coach of the Edmonton Oilers. He was fired earlier this season after the Stanley Cup hopefuls started the campaign with only three wins out of their first 13 games.
Woodcroft paid the price for a .863 team save percentage (last in the NHL over that span), but the Oilers were one of the league’s most dominant teams at five-on-five during his brief tenure.
Woodcroft can pin being the owner of the eighth-highest PTS% in NHL history (minimum 100 games coached) to the top of his resume while also having steered the Oilers to the 2022 Western Conference Final.
Though they ended up being swept by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche, Woodcroft had the Oilers playing free-flowing hockey that seemed more aligned with their roster construction and could unlock some of the Kraken’s top offensive players.
As a younger coach with nearly 20 years of professional experience as either a video coach, an assistant, or as the head honcho, Woodcroft has the caché to command an NHL locker room while being in touch with the modern principles of player development.
The only thing standing in the way of his appointment is that the possibility of joining a more competitive situation may be more enticing than heading up a retooling Kraken squad.
Candidate #2: Dan Bylsma
The second candidate will be familiar with the organization. Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds, the Kraken’s AHL affiliate. The 53-year-old will likely sit near the top of Kraken’s shortlist due to boasting a great deal of past NHL head coaching experience and his familiarity with the franchise’s top prospects.
Bylsma was a head coach for eight seasons in the NHL (2008-17), split between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. He won the 2009 Stanley Cup with a Penguins squad led by an enviable core of players aged 23 and under and was also awarded the Jack Adams for his work in the 2010-11 season. His most recent NHL work was as an assistant with the Detroit Red Wings between 2018 and 2021.
In the present, Bylsma has spearheaded the Firebirds to the second-best cumulative record in the AHL over their first two seasons of existence (only the Hershey Bears are better) and came within one win of capturing the 2023 Calder Cup.
If Bylsma receives a promotion, watch for where the Firebirds’ assistant coach – Jessica Campbell – lands in the aftermath. She recently became the AHL’s first full-time female coach and, despite lacking the experience of other candidates, offers a unique perspective as a result of her turbulent path to professional men’s hockey.
Candidate #3: Jay Leach
We’ve already named two current members of the Kraken organization; what’s one more? Jay Leach is a current assistant coach with the Kraken and survived Monday’s axing. This could be interpreted as a vote of confidence in Leach and a signal of intent to promote him, especially as he’s drawn increased interest from around the league in recent years.
Leach is a former professional player with a career spanning over 20 years spent between the ECHL, AHL, and NHL (70 total games with five teams) and has been touted as an upbeat presence and adept communicator across his coaching journey by some of the hockey world’s leading bench bosses.
Before joining Hakstol’s staff before the Kraken’s inaugural season, Leach served as the head coach of the AHL’s Providence Bruins between 2017 and 2021, and helped develop some of the Boston Bruins current blueliners in Matt Grzelcyk and Connor Clifton.
Promoting Leach would suggest that the Kraken are prepared to lean on their youth and look beyond next season. If he’s overlooked for this particular job, don’t be surprised if he ends the offseason behind an NHL bench elsewhere.
Candidate #4: David Carle
In terms of up-and-comers in the coaching world, few are as promising as 34-year-old David Carle, the head coach of the University of Denver.
Carle has been a member of Denver’s coaching staff in some capacity since midway through the 2013-14 season and has been the main man since 2018-19. He recently won his second national championship in three years as head coach and has quickly carved a hallowed figure in the collegiate sphere at such a young age.
Carle was also the head coach of the victorious Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and was recently announced to be returning to helm the group at the 2025 iteration. However, pursuing an NHL job may preclude him from doing so if he is so inclined.
Carle’s lack of playing or coaching experience at a professional level could keep him on the outside looking in for now, but it bears reminding that Hakstol also went directly from college to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers.
If an NHL job is a goal of Carle’s, it is general consensus around the industry that he would achieve the feat before long. Rebuilding teams like the San Jose Sharks may take a chance on a blossoming coaching talent, so the Kraken must ask fast if they are interested in capturing his signature.
Candidate #5: Rod Brind’Amour
I won’t dedicate too much space to Rod Brind’Amour, as it’s admittedly a longshot that he will leave the Carolina Hurricanes organization, even though he is without a contract for next season.
The former NHL veteran and Francis have a shared history with the Hurricanes. Still, Carolina is in the midst of a legitimate Stanley Cup window, and Brind’Amour would be of interest to every team in the league should he hit the open market, many in more competitive situations than he would find at this point in Seattle.
Brind’Amour’s relatively low salary has been a topic of conversation for several seasons, which could be one significant factor in initiating his departure. He won the Jack Adams as the NHL’s best coach in 2020-21 but has yet to see his compensation rise to a commensurate level.
Whichever team secures his services will be in good hands, as Carolina has made the playoffs every season since he took over as the head coach ahead of the 2018-19 season. The Hurricanes have made a pair of appearances in the Eastern Conference Final (2019 and 2023) and have the third-highest winning percentage in the regular season over his tenure.
NHL Head Coaching Candidates: Honorable Mentions
Here are five additional honorable mentions, listed with their age and current coaching position:
- Ryan Warsofsky, 36 (Assistant Coach, San Jose Sharks)
- Jeff Halpern, 47 (Assistant Coach, Tampa Bay Lightning)
- Todd Nelson, 54 (Head Coach, Hershey Bears)
- Mitch Love, 39 (Assistant Coach, Washington Capitals)
- Jay Pandolfo, 49 (Head Coach, Boston University)
This collection of coaches is scant on head coaching appearance at the NHL level, with Todd Nelson the only one to have led an NHL bench on even an interim basis. For what it’s worth, he posted a record of 17-25-9 in 51 games for the Edmonton Oilers to end the 2014-15 season but was replaced by Todd McLellan, who took over permanently.
What’s evident is that the Kraken will have several heading coaching options available to them this summer. How much they value being competitive in the present compared to the long term will dictate the profile of candidates they reach out to and pursue.
The organization must take their time with this appointment; it could determine how high the Kraken ascend in the NHL hierarchy and whether they more closely resemble their successful expansion cousins in Las Vegas or their middling ancestors from the early 2000s. No pressure, Ron.
