Seattle Kraken name Dave Hakstol first head coach in franchise history

The Seattle Kraken named Dave Hakstol as their first head coach in franchise history, multiple sources confirmed on Thursday morning (h/t ESPN).

Hakstol, 52, beat out several promising candidates rumored to be up for the highly coveted job of coaching the NHL's 32nd franchise. Rick Tocchet, David Quinn, Bruce Boudreau and Gerard Gallant (prior to signing with the New York Rangers) were just some of the names floating around the rumor mill prior to Hakstol securing the role of bench boss.

Kraken general manager Ron Francis told the media he interviewed eight candidates — some multiple times — before giving the job to Hakstol.

"Dave possesses great experience, a strong work ethic, a solid technical understanding of the game, and the remarkable ability to communicate clearly and effectively," Francis said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Dave as we strive to build a team our fans will be proud of."

Hakstol is coming off of a two-year stint as an assistant coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to that, he coached the Philadelphia Flyers for three-and-a-half seasons, tallying a 134-101-42 record behind the bench that included two playoff appearances. He was fired from the team in the middle of the 2018-19 season.

The Kraken will hold their expansion draft ahead of their 2021-22 inaugural season on July 21. The draft will follow the same rules that were set for the Vegas Golden Knights before they entered the league in 2017. Seattle also has the second overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft on July 23.