The Seattle Kraken’s 2023-24 season ended on April 18th with a 4-3 win in Minnesota against the Wild. Despite this win, the Kraken would end the season below .500 with a disappointing 34-35-13 record.
In their third season as a franchise, the Kraken were plagued by injuries and could never get their footing right. Being in the same division as teams like Vancouver, Edmonton, Los Angeles and Vegas didn’t help either.
However, the Kraken’s sophomore season in 2022-23 saw them defy expectations. They finished with a 48-28-8 record and eclipsed the 100 point mark for the first time in franchise history. And, during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Kraken knocked out the reigning champion Colorado Avalanche in seven while winning three games on the road.
In the Second Round, the Kraken fought hard and took another series to a Game 7 before being eliminated by the Dallas Stars. Despite losing, the Kraken showed a lot of promise in their first ever playoff run and Kraken fans had a lot to be excited about.
The 2023-24 season would not live up to expectations.
Nearly two and a half months after the season, the Kraken have already made some significant changes to their roster, and coaching staff, in hopes of returning to the Stanley Cup Playoffs next season.
Dave Hakstol Fired
On April 29th, the Kraken fired head coach Dave Hakstol after three seasons and one playoff appearance. Hakstol accumulated a 107-112-27 record coaching the Kraken. The Kraken also let go of assistant coach Paul McFarland.
Hakstol’s hiring back in 2021 as the franchise’s first head coach was met with many questions that remained throughout their inaugural season. The Kraken finished that season with a disappointing 27-49-6 record. After their Second Round playoff run in 2023, the Kraken’s regression as a team in 2023-24 led to GM Ron Francis’s decision to dismiss Hakstol.
Kraken Promote Firebirds HC Dan Bylsma
The Kraken’s coaching search ended with the hiring of Dan Bylsma as their next head coach on May 28th. Bylsma, an internal promotion, was the Kraken’s AHL-affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds head coach for the past two seasons. During his tenure, the Firebirds reached the Calder Cup Finals in both years, losing both times to the Hershey Bears.
This will be Bylsma’s third stint as an NHL HC. Bylsma coached the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2008-2014 and led the Penguins to a Stanley Cup trophy in 2009. Bylsma took over after Michel Therrien was fired in mid-February. The Penguins would finish the season 18-3-4 and defeat the Detroit Red Wings in seven in the finals.
After being fired from the Penguins following the 2013-14 season, Bylsma spent a year without a role in the NHL before inking a 5-year deal to be the Buffalo Sabres next HC. Bylsma would only last two seasons in Buffalo before being fired.
Bylsma will now be tasked with turning the Kraken around in a loaded Pacific Division and Western Conference.
Seattle’s Draft Recap
With the HC secured, the Kraken turned their attention to the draft and free agency. With the Draft starting on June 28, the Kraken used the 8th overall pick on Berkly Catton. Catton was a dominant offensive force this past season playing for the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
Despite being undersized, Catton’s skating, passing and puck skill will help him make the next jump to the NHL.
The Kraken would make 7 more picks in the draft: Julius Miettinen (Round 2 – Pick 40), Nathan Villeneuve (Round 2 – Pick 63), Alexis Bernier (Round 3 – Pick 73), Kim Saarinen (Round 3 – Pick 88), Ollie Josephson (Round 4 – Pick 105), Clarke Caswell (Round 5 – Pick 141) and Jakub Fibigr (Round 7 – Pick 102).
The Kraken are ranked as the 7th oldest team in the NHL with an Effective Age of 29.6. It will be important for the organization to continue and build their farm of young prospects, lead by Shane Wright, as the first batch of Kraken players get older and older.
Kraken Ink 7-Year Deals W/ Cup Winners Montour, Stephenson
Ron Francis wasted no time, signing Panthers Defender Brandon Montour to a 7-year deal carrying an AAV of $7.14 million. Montour, fresh off a Stanley Cup win with Florida, was one of the most coveted right-shot defenders available. And now the Kraken will pair him with the likes of Vince Dunn and Justin Schultz (pending new a contract) to anchor their Defensive line.
Montour was not the only Stanley Cup winner that Francis signed. Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson would also sign a 7-year deal with the Kraken, carrying an AAV of $6.25 million.
Stephenson, who spent the last 5 seasons with Vegas and won a Cup with them in 2023, is a solid two-way center who can anchor a line while being trusted to play in most scenarios. He will be paired with Matty Beniers, Andre Burakovsky, Jordan Eberle, Jared McCann and Jaden Schwartz across the Kraken’s top two lines.
Additional FA Moves
The Kraken have also agreed to terms with Free Agents Ben Meyers (from Anaheim), Mitchell Stephens (from Montreal), Brandon Biro (from Buffalo), Nikolas Brouillard (from Hartord – AHL) and Maxime Lajoie (from Toronto).
With any Free Agency period, teams also lose players. So far, the Kraken have lost six guys to other teams during FA with another eight guys still available to sign. This includes top Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz, who signed a 2-year deal with Seattle back in 2022.
The Kraken and GM Ron Francis will need to continue evaluating the Free Agency market throughout the summer and make any additional moves needed for the team and new HC Dan Bylsma to have a successful, and improved, 2024-25 season.
