Going into 2022-23, there wasn’t much of a belief that Dave Hakstol could guide this Seattle Kraken team in the right direction after how things had gone down during the 2021-22 season. In their inaugural season, the expansion Seattle team finished with a 27-49-6 record. They finished the year dead last in the Pacific Division, second worst in the Western Conference, and third worst in the entire NHL. It was safe to say that there were very few to no expectations for him and the team heading into their second year of existence. Fast forward to today, and Hakstol remains the perfect coach for the Kraken.
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The 32nd franchise, in just Year 2, had gone from one of the worst teams in the league into one of the most impressive ones. They finished with an impressive 46 wins and 100 points to reach their first Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once they got into the dance, they continued to shock the hockey world. They went the distance with the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and eliminated them in a stunning first-round series. After that, they nearly were able to pull off another upset, but their season came to an end in seven games at the hands of the Dallas Stars in Round 2.
Despite this, their season was a massive success, and plenty of credit goes to Hakstol and the job he did. That success was rewarded on July 19, 2023 when the Kraken announced that they had signed the 54-year-old coach to a contract extension that goes through the 2025-26 season.
What Makes Dave Hakstol Successful in Seattle
There is one major reason why Hakstol was able to generate a ton of success with this team last year and moving forward. He can create a system that maximizes the strengths of the team while at the same time limiting the faults. Just look at the four forward lines this past year. Each line had at least one 20-goal scorer. They had 13 players with 10 or more goals, which put them in a tie with the Edmonton Oilers for the most in the league. Meanwhile, their 18 players with 20 or more points was the overall best. Hakstol was able to generate a ton of offensive production from each of the four as well, creating one of the deeper forward teams in the league.
Another area to look at is the individual performances of certain players. Matty Beniers had a really good season in his first full stint in the NHL, finishing with 24 goals and 57 points. His performance was good enough to win the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. Another is Jared McCann, who is looking like an absolute steal for Seattle. He finished last season with a career-high in goals (40), assists (30), and points (70) and has cemented himself as the go-to guy offensively for this team. Daniel Sprong, Morgan Geekie, and Ryan Donato also were major contributors in their way. Sprong led the team in five-on-five scoring per 60, Geekie finished third, and Donato was fifth in goals per 60.
While the Kraken lost each of these three guys I just mentioned this offseason to free agency, you can be sure Hakstol will find a way to generate similar success to the bottom six, as well as get reinforcements from a healthy Andre Burakovsky.
What Hakstol Brings to the Locker Room
Another area that has been mentioned in the past about what makes Hakstol good as a leader is how he talks to his team during any situation. Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis spoke very highly about what the Drayton Valley, Canada native provides to his young team.
“Ultimately Dave’s the one that’s, daily, in the room, steering that ship. I get to sit up top and watch, and we have conversations, but he has to go in every day and work that room. You saw it from our guys from start to finish. They were a gutsy group, a gritty group, and that’s a reflection on him and how he prepares and wants his teams to play.”
Ron Francis
As you can see, the identity of the team is who Hakstol is as a coach. For a team that is still developing and adding more talent gradually, it’s good that Seattle already has an identity to its game early on, and plenty of that points back to the job that their head coach has done. When it comes to coaching, it’s not just about what a coach can do in terms of the on-ice production, but it’s also about what type of presence and voice they have in the locker room. The players gravitate to Hakstol, and they have bought in very well to what he is preaching.
At the 2023 NHL Awards, Hakstol finished as a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year. While he ultimately finished third in the voting, it should go without saying that he certainly deserved recognition for the turnaround he created for his Kraken team. Heading into his third year at the helm, there will certainly be high expectations for him and Seattle to take another step toward championship contention.
There will no doubt be question marks for the Emerald City team in terms of what the roster has to offer. However, there is no question at all that Hakstol will get the best out of his team and guide them through all the ups and downs. Things continue to look up for this young team, and he’s a big reason for it.
