Kraken fire head coach Dave Hakstol

The Seattle Kraken announced Monday they fired head coach Dave Hakstol, the franchise’s first bench boss.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman was the first to report that the Kraken would relieve Hakstol of his duties.

“I thank Dave for his hard work and dedication to the Kraken franchise,” Kraken General Manager Ron Francis said in a team statement. “Following our end-of-the-season review, we have decided to make a change at our head coach position. These decisions are never easy, but we feel this is a necessary step to help ensure our team continues to improve and evolve.”

Assistant coach Paul McFarland will also not return with the club next season.

Francis said the team would begin its search for the next head coach immediately.

Hakstol was named the team’s first head coach in June 2021, guiding the Kraken to a 107-112-27 record over their first three seasons. After going 46-28-8 with 100 points in 2022-23, Seattle reached the playoffs for the first time, defeating the Colorado Avalanche in round one then losing in seven games to the Dallas Stars in the second round.

For his efforts, Hakstol would be nominated for the Jack Adams Award. The team re-signed him to a three-year extension in July 2023, which would have run through the 2025-26 season.

The Kraken went 34-35-13 for 81 points in 2023-24, sixth in the Pacific Division and 17 points out of a wild card spot in the Western Conference. Forward Jared McCann led the way with 29 goals and 33 assists for 62 points, followed closely by Oliver Bjorkstrand, who scored 20 times, along with a team-leading 39 assists for 59 points.

Goaltender Joey Daccord had a strong campaign, going 19-18-11 with a .916 SV% and 2.46 GAA.