Hakstol named Kraken's first head coach

[tweetdrivr]

https://twitter.com/SeattleKraken/st...84703022882828

Dave Hakstol (@hakstol2), has been named the the first-ever head coach in #SeaKraken history!

[PenguinHunter]

Nice. I am glad he is getting another shot as a head coach.

[Pengwin7]

Awesome. He's a solid coach.
Effin impatient PHI fans/ownership ran him out... and Hextall too...
He did more with the (young) talent on that team than AV has. My 2 cents. (And I like AV... but...)
I'll be rooting for him.

[finnys_fanatsy]

hmmm, im not sure about that move. just doesn't seem to fit the vibe for a new team thats looking to reel in fans?

[Axeman33]

I wont lie, I really thought this job was Tocchet's to lose.

[tweetdrivr]

I wont lie, I really thought this job was Tocchet's to lose.

I think we all did. Somehow he managed to do it.

[2014olympicgold]

Guy can coach youth and properly develop and interact with them. Smart move if they plan to be a younger team.

[Turbo_Supremo]

Guy can coach youth and properly develop and interact with them. Smart move if they plan to be a younger team.

I think a lot of teams have learned after the Vegas draft, and I see Seattle having a lot less options to choose from, and will need to lean heavy on development. A coach that fits that kind of structure is a smart move.

[Pengwin7]

re: Tocchet.
Out of curiosity - would people think more of:

a) Something didn't click btw Tocchet & Francis (who are nearly same age, Ontario guys, former teammates on PIT from 91-94)
b) Something did click btw Hakstol & Francis (who, to my knowledge, have little to no internal connections)

[Dr.Brad]

Personally I don’t get it UNLESS (a) something got strained in the Francis-Tocchet relationship. But I’d bet Tocchet has a head coaching job by the end of 2021.

[tweetdrivr]

I think a lot of teams have learned after the Vegas draft, and I see Seattle having a lot less options to choose from, and will need to lean heavy on development. A coach that fits that kind of structure is a smart move.

Everyone thought, even AFTER they drafted, that Vegas was going to be crap. Seattle has the same level of options that Vegas did. I'd say there is an even better pool of goaltenders potentially available to Seattle as well. It's not a developmental team or a developmental league. It's the NHL and I do not believe Seattle is planning on punting their first few seasons in favor of development. They will expect to be Vegas MKII. Through the interview process they determined Hakstol is the guy. I'm not sold. Francis is a smart guy so I'll go with guarded optimism for this hire.

[2014olympicgold]

I don't think Seattle will punt the yr. But I think the player options this upcoming yr are more youth oriented than what the options VGK had

[Shift Disturber]

Lots of pressure on Francis and now Hakstol as well. Vegas set a high bar.

[tweetdrivr]

I don't think Seattle will punt the yr. But I think the player options this upcoming yr are more youth oriented than what the options VGK had

Here is what the Vegas roster looked like at the end of their draft/sign period...
Average age was 27. How do you expect the Seattle roster to differ age wise?


Forwards:

Pierre-Edouard Bellemare - 32

Connor Brickley - 25

William Carrier - 22

David Clarkson - 33

Cody Eakin - 26

Mikhail Grabovski - 33

Nikita Gusev - 24

Erik Haula - 26

William Karlsson - 24

Brendan Leipsic - 23

Oscar Lindberg - 25

Jonathan Marchessault - 26

James Neal - 29

Tomas Nosek - 24

David Perron - 29

Teemu Pulkkinen - 25

Reilly Smith - 26

Chris Thorburn - 34

Alex Tuch - 21



Defensemen:

Jake Bischoff - 22

Deryk Engelland - 35

Alexei Emelin - 31

Jason Garrison - 32

Brayden McNabb - 26

Jon Merrill - 25

Marc Methot - 32

Colin Miller - 24

Luca Sbisa - 27

David Schlemko - 30

Griffin Reinhart - 23

Nate Schmidt - 25

Clayton Stoner - 32

Shea Theodore - 21

Trevor van Riemsdyk - 25



Goaltenders:

Jean-Francois Berube - 25

Marc-Andre Fleury - 32

Calvin Pickard - 25

[Belexus75]

i think NHL learned from their mistakes and Seattle will not be a power house for a while, therefore coach is more of stop gap for now...i dont think he will be around when Seattle makes their first playoff run.

i also thought Tocchet will get this job but now thinking about it maybe he had enough o loosing in Arizona...